Fire Emblem: Shadows of Dawn
by Girlaremo
Summary: Ike and Ranulf  and an unexpected Soren  have traveled to the continent of Terrasancta in hopes of finding something new.  Read and find out what happens!  We're back on track!  End of Hiatus!
1. Chapter 1

Fire Emblem: Shadows of Dawn

The ship rocked and swayed, the gentle sounds of the ocean were in his ears. The sky was dotted with silver stars, and the huge crescent off a moon hung in the sky also. This was the second or third time he had been on the ocean, and probably not the last time, either. His blue hair made a slight curtain of indigo without his well known headband pushing back some of the hair and his usual outer coat was hanging on a peg below deck, leaving a maroon colored shirt, breeches and his boots on him. He sighed, looking at the salty waters below sloshing around against the wooden boat.

"Well, I hope Ranulf's holding up well..." Ike muttered, remembering the first day of sailing. Illness, vomiting, delusions...and the odd smell of pineapple. It must have been the cargo, because that's where the sound of snoring was coming from. The captain thought it was the Tethian Dog that he said he was shipping, but Ike had never heard of such a thing.

The crew mates were all around doing their duties, Ranulf was below deck, probably moaning about how Laguz don't travel well over water. That was a lie. Lyre was fine for a while, and even Nasir was fine...but then again, he was pretty old and knew how to handle traveling on the open water.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" Asked one of the crew mates. He reminded Ike of one of the kids in the Dawn Brigade, hyper and ready to jump around at any time, and yet small enough to climb up and down the mainsail to un-snag some things.

"Just fine. I've traveled on sea before, so I'm used to it." Ike replied, looking out to the far reaches of the night. "And you? How are you doing?"

He shrugged, leaning on the railing on the starboard side. "I'm okay. Haven't caught scurvy yet. I haven't died of some sort of illness or rather, my family's fine, my siblings are healthy..." He smiled, looking back at Ike. "I'm just excellent."

"That's a good way to look at life." Ike said softly. "I don't think my friend would really agree."

"After a month on a boat? I highly doubt it." He laughed. "I don't think I've introduced myself. I was below deck when Captain introduced us all. I'm Izaya Shrout." He held out his hand, offering a handshake.

"Ike." He replied, shaking his hand.

"You don't have a surname?" Izaya asked, looking at him funnily.

"Oh, er, do I need one?" Ike asked confusedly.

"Well, yeah. The people out West of here will think you're a slave or laguz if you don't have one." Izaya said, looking up at him with seriousness. "Easiest way to make one is just to come up with something. Are you a Smith's chid?"

"No..." Ike said, shaking his head.

"Was your father a baker?" Izaya offered.

Ike laughed at that one. No way could his father be a baker.

"Umm...how bout a tailor? Or a shepherd?"

"My father was a mercenary. I was in his company, and he..." Ike stopped himself, looking at Izaya. "He died when I was fifteen."

"Oh, I'm terrible sorry." Izaya looked away, a little upset that he had brought that all up.

"That's fine. I'm his son. I should be able to talk about it with ease by now..." He trailed off, doing the same thing.

"You could just add 'son' to your father's name to prove that you're of his lineage." Izaya said, still looking away.

Ike thought about it. Ike Greilson. It had that certain ring to it, making him sound like a Nobel or something. "Greilson." He said.

"Fancy. That sounds fancy." Izaya said.

* * *

><p>-Three days later-<p>

The musty air of below deck was warm and uncomfortable, and not to mention the mouser cat 'Niles' was sleeping on his chest. With a definite frown and a steady hand, Ike lifted the grey cat off his chest, and got off of his hammock, putting him on a crate labeled 'Oranges'. When the lid sank in under the cat's weight, Ike frowned even more, this time a little creeped out.

"You stupid feline, I'm going to throw you if you don't get OFF!" Soren suddenly popped out of the box, seeing a rather confused Ike, and a seasick Ranulf. Soren only brushed himself off, nodded to them both, and grabbed the lid and put himself back in the box.

"Ike, did i just se Soren in a box?" Ranulf asked, looking at the still confused swordsman.

"I was about to ask you the same thing." Ike replied.

"Yes..." Soren got out of the box again, this time coming out and standing right before them. "You said there wasn't enough room on the ship, so I proved you wrong by hiding out in an empty box of oranges."

"Why, Soren?" Ike rubbed his temples, his eyes closed as if anticipating a headache.

"Three reasons;" He held up the fingers, his tome tucked under his arm. "One, I wanted to prove you wrong. Two, I was going to be too bored back in Crimea without someone to use my ideas. And three...Ike let's face it. You need me. I'm your tactician, and you wouldn't be able to live without me."

"I'm thinking those oranges are getting to you," Ranulf said thoughtlessly.

"You try living in an orange crate for a while." Soren retorted. "It's crowded in there."

"What a blatant truth..." Ike muttered, grabbing his coat and cape and heading above deck. "Stay here, Soren." It could have been worse, that day. There they were, a couple nautical miles from land, and they were being attacked by pirates. "Never mind. Get up here, both of you. _Now._"

"More men!" One of the pirates growled.

Izaya was in the background, fighting off some of the brawny thieves, and was doing a decent job, but there were too many.

"Izaya!" Ike yelled, grabbing Ettard. With a giant swing, Ike felled at least three of the men, and Ranulf jumped over him and attacked more, with Soren following up from behind with Elwind. "Where's the captain?"

"He's in the cabin! He fled when they boarded!" Izaya called back. "He should be fine! Keep 'em away from there!"

The job was easy, the only way up there was through the stairs, and Ranulf had it all covered with his speed.

In a matter of no time, the thieves and bandits were taken care of, and everyone was safe. "Y-you're a pretty god fighter there, Greilson." Izaya smiled. He had a couple dabs of blood on his shirt and a couple scratches, but other than that, he was just fine. "Whoo~"

"You too." Ike panted, not remembering the last pirate fight he had been in. "That was fun."

Izaya went up to the main sail, climbing up and looking. "Hey, would you man the boat? We need to pull in here fast."

Ike ended up directing the boat into port with the help of Izaya, and all went well. They unloaded the cargo, got Captain Morse out of his cabin for a while, and Ike said his (happy and long awaited) goodbye to Niles the cat. Ranulf could definitely bear this goodbye, and Niles could, too.

"Soren, you've been eating oranges for the last month, right?" The port town of Urbem Deorum, there were so many shoppes and things, it was really difficult to say that this place was undiscovered.

"Oh, you don't know the half of it." Soren muttered, walking alongside Ranulf and Ike. They were gawked at like they were dragons, walking on two feet and talking in growls. "You'll never know."

* * *

><p><em>First chapter! Is it any good? I've been of a diferent writing streak for now, and I hope this turns out good! Review, for my sake as an aspiring writer! D:<em>


	2. Chapter 2

_Well, I forgot to run spell check before I uploaded this. DX oops! _

_I do not own Fire Emblem. If I did, someone would have died._

* * *

><p>The streets were full of people, streets alive with chatter and life. People's clothes were extravagant to Ike's standards, people looked at him with curious eyes and whispered rumors and secrets.<p>

"You'd think that they'd never seen a laguz before." Ranulf muttered, looking at some of the other people. There was a mix of people, laguz, beorec, and even another race that Ike had never seen before. They had pale skin and hair, pointed ears, and sharp features. Some were blonde, others had dark hair for a change. They looked back at him with the same kind of expression he had. Soren was jotting down notes for some reason, adding a quick charcoal sketch between the pages.

They stopped for a quick meal, Soren looked like Boyd used to when Oscar cooked something amazing- probably from eating those oranges for a couple months.

It was the spring of 630, and that meant that Daein Liberation day was coming up, and Rolf's birthday, along with his parent's anniversary ...How Ike knew this, it was beyond him. Living in routine for those years, and having everything down fine. Thinking about all this made Ike's head spin, his mind wandering back home while he walked.

"I don't know how this is going to work out. We've got limited funds, and so far we've spent five hundred gold for lunch." Soren was figuring things and taking notes about the wild life and such, frowning at a stray butterfly that had landed on his charcoal stick. "Anyone wanting to do some work for travel?"

Ike looked at Soren, who was still figuring. "Doing work and saving on travel costs sounds fine. The most we'd have to spend is a good thousand gold on boots." Ike sighed. "Even then, a good inn should be around that much."

Soren nodded, figuring up an estimate. "I think for a week, we'd need about three-thousand five hundred." Soren said, tapping his chin. "If you want clothes or souvenirs, that's up to you."

They were walking down the main square, where many people gawked at them as they did so. Some of the laguz women looked at Ranulf, who politely returned their gaze and sent a inconspicuous wink. They giggled, making Soren roll his eyes.

"I'm going to have to live with that for a couple years, aren't I?" Soren muttered, an annoyed expression crept across his face.

"It'll be fine. They'll get used to us and it'll all be over in a few days." Ike said, looking around. "The buildings here are huge..."

"Don't let that thief get away!" Someone yelled. "Someone get her!"

The people in the square started squabbling suddenly, footsteps could be heard rapidly and Ike turned around, hitting someone head on. They both fell in a heap, Ike's head throbbed and the other person was laying on the ground holding their head. When she tried to get up, Ike grabbed her scarf, pulling her back down. She gagged, falling back with a bundle in her arms. Soren had his tome out, ready to go. He looked kind of awkward with his charcoal stuck behind his ear, but nobody really noticed. Ranulf on the other hand was just about to half-shift.

A bunch of soldiers ran up, looking at the heap of people and the thief on the ground, Ike got up and pulled the masked figure with him.

"By Lyra, you caught the thief!" One of them said. "We're in your gratitude, sirs and young lady."

Soren looked at them with a face of disgust, looking down at his clothes. "Excuse me, but I'm not a girl." Soren said almost indignantly.

"Hm?" The general of the group looked at him again, frowning in dismay as he realized the truth. "Oh, my deepest apologies! I didn't notice! Not many beorec people wear robes like that any more." He said. "You look like you're not from around here."

The thief tried to get away from Ike's grip, frowning from under her cloak. "We're from far East of here, across the ocean."

"That's remarkable! Nobody here has gone that far. Not since Iudicium Deorum." He said. "Marie, you can put your hood down now."

The thief finally wrenched away from Ike's grip, pulling down her hood. "You managed to come during Deum Ipsum. Festival of the Gods." She said, sporting the looks of the Laguz. "We were doing the festival's re-enactment of Laurale stealing the Holy Helm."

This was all new to Ike and everyone, so they all looked dumbly at the townsfolk until they explained.

"It's part of our festival." Said one of the mock soldiers. "Every spring after the equinox, we celebrate the creation of Terrasancta. As the story goes, a thief named Laurale was jealous of the gods, and wanted the divine power, so she crept up into the Tower of Deorum, and stole the Holy Helm. She was caught by a man, named Ezel, and he was granted god-hood and became the wife of Circe, the goddess of Elves."

"Wait...does that make him Ezel?" Ranulf asked, jerking a thumb at Ike and looking at the guards with an arched eyebrow.

"To put it simply, yes." Marie nodded. "Well, since you _are_ a foreigner, you do have the choice to decline to this. I mean, you and your companions would get so many benefits..."

"We'll take it." Ranulf and Soren quickly said, both thinking of totally different things. Soren was out of character, thinking of food (for once.).

* * *

><p>"The festival really has it's perks." Ranulf was looking around one of the shops, eyeing some of the decorative jewelry. Soren was reading some of the tomes, frowning at the new language. "We get free board for a week, thanks to you, Ike."<p>

"Sure, sure. You should be thanking Marie. _She _was wearing her cloak too low and ran right into me." Ike was in one of the vacant rooms, fumbling with one of the 'costumes' that he had to wear for the festival. "Are you sure this goes like that? It's kind of bulky..."

"It's a costume, mister foreigner. It's not supposed to be very comfortable. You think the thief costume is comfortable?" Marie was helping Ike, which seemed more like a challenge than anything. "I'll tell you, it's not."

Ranulf looked around, his bi-color eyes going to the ceiling. "Marie, you're laguz, right?"

"Yep. Cat Laguz the whole way." She replied, doing something to make Ike yelp. Ranulf almost laughed at the surprise in his tone, finally stopping himself after Soren glared at him.

"If you're laguz, and the people here are beorec, what's the other race running around?" Soren asked, picking up an old blizzard tome.

"Oh, they are called Elves. They've been here longer than us laguz and beorec have. All of us descended from them." She came out of the room, poking her head through the curtain, looking at them then finally coming out.

"We believe differently. In Tellius, we came from Zunuma after the Great Flood." Soren said non-chalantly. He flipped through the tome, looking at it with a slight smirk when he found out it was in The Ancient Language.

"Hunh. Never thought of it like that." Maria came out, Ike wasn't following. "He's gotta get his breeches changed. I'm _definitely _not helping with that."

"Oh, we're different all right..." Soren muttered. "I've been mistaken for a girl already."

"That's because what you're wearing was in style about two hundred years ago. The only one of you who's actually right with time is Ranulf." Maria said, showing off her clothes under her cloak. "Laguz don't change much here."

"Interesting." Ranulf smiled, looking at Soren with a triumphant smirk. "I'm fashionable."

"You're something alright..." Ike called from the other room, his voice coming closer. "Do I have to come out? I'm not vain or anything, but this is ridiculous."

"You're not staying back there forever." Marie pulled him through, Soren raised an eyebrow at the sight of him. To put it shortly, they found out what Ike would look like as an overdressed nobel.

The overcoat was a red color, and it was big enough that it made him look less muscled, and the silvery trim etched the cuffs of the coat and up the front to the collar. He had tails on his coat (to his annoyance) and the black breeches didn't quite match his boots, so Marie took off the steel toes that Ike had worn there. To finish it off, she took his headband and tried her best to slick his hair back, and it didn't quite work due to the years of what she called 'hair conformity'.

"That's...different." Ranulf said, looking him up and down.

"It looks better on him than the man last year." Marie said. "You'll be with Evangeline during the parade tonight because she's Circe."

'This should be fun.' He thought. "I think I'll be happy when this is over. How long is the celebration?"

"Let's see...Today is Wednesday, and Monday and Tuesday were Creation Day and Largo Day..." She counted on her fingers, looking away for a minute. "You've got today to worry about. That's it. Celebrating Ezel."

"How many gods do you have?" Soren asked, pulling out his book again.

"Three. Ezel of the Beorec, Circe of the Elves, and Largo of the Laguz." She said. "Are you making a novel or something?"

"I'm taking notes so I don't forget any of this." Soren said sternly, jotting it all down. "I do this any time I can."

"He keeps his mind busy like this when he's not making battle plans." Ranulf said. "He's actually a really bright tactician."

"Oh~ That's neat!" Marie said, fixing up Ike's outer coat so that an unexpected puff of undershirt came out. Ranulf snickered at the pouffy shirt, Soren just looked the other way. "Balto is like that. He's one of the nobles here, and he's also the mayor of the township."

"Do you have any kings or queens in your country?" Soren asked, still watching.

"King Oliver is in power now. He's married to Queen Elizabeth, and they're doing mighty fine ruling over Aecorlitus." Marie said, finally calling her work good. "King Devan is over in Loremterra ruling the hawks, and to the east of that is Queen Lillia of the Heron's Land. Gavrel has Terradraco to himself. There's also the wastes, but nobody really counts them." She scoffed. "They're just a whole bunch of Branded people outlawed to there with the ravens."

"Why are they outlawed?" Soren's voice changed, a little confused and angry.

"They're considered an abomination. Living longer lives than elves and beorec, yet shorter than the laguz. They just don't fit." Marie said, looking him up and down. "But you don't need to worry. You're not Branded, little one." She started out the door, looking back at Ike. "The parade starts around an hour after sun-down. That's when the torches are lit and the fire works are happening. Feel free to run around and enjoy the festivities."

"Fire works?" Ranulf tilted his head, never hearing of such a thing.

"Oh, right. You'll love them." She smiled, leaving out the door.

As soon as she left, Ike shook his hair out to its normal shaggy shape. "I'm glad this only lasts a day..."

"They don't think I'm branded..." Soren shut his book, tucking his charcoal in his pouch. "This is ludicrous...they ban the branded out to the wastes here..." He looked annoyed.

"Maybe they don't think you're branded because you're from a different continent. They don't know, so they just think you're beorec." Ranulf said.

"But I'm _not." _Soren said harshly. "I am what I am, and it's not beorec."

He stormed out of the shop, ignoring the small children running past and walking off somewhere.

* * *

><p><em>Second chapter...Any good? I'll make sure I don't make any spelling errors this time around! I think I'm making this too 'Ike-centric', and it's kind of because of the running into him thing. It'll get better, though. By the way, some of the crazy names of the countries are latin. I'm focusing on that for now.<em>


	3. Chapter 3

_Okay, I kind of am accepting OCs. I'll get the form done, and I think that I'll accept a few. Looking for some branded and Raven laguz, maybe some beorec. ...Don't go overly mary sue on this...but either way. I'll try to get 'em all in. So, happy reading! :)_

* * *

><p>The streets were crowded with people, wearing their fancy clothes and their celebration costumes. There were a few historical characters from Terrasancta that Soren had jotted down, not to mention criticized for their odd clothing and overall perfection.<p>

"Well, we can see who's going to get annoyed first..." Soren shut his book in a huff, looking around. Everything was so colorful and bright, and compared to Tellius' slightly muted tones, it was almost too much. "I think I have a visual migraine..."

Then as he got up, he saw her. A little girl with bright orange hair, a small cape like dress that hung on her shoulders, and there was a familiarness to her. Like he knew her from somewhere.

"Hello, child..." Soren said briskly with slight sarcasm.

She frowned, looking at him with wide eyes and a childish expression. She signed, making him frown as well.

"_I can't speak." _She signed.

"Oh, that's fine. I know what you're saying." Soren sighed. She was signing in the Old Tellius dialect, which didn't strike him as odd. It was actually quite refreshing.

"_I know you do. I've come to warn you, though."_ She signed with a straight face, totally solemn and serious. _"Get your friends out of Urbum Deorum and into the wastes. You're all in grave danger."_

Soren could only look at her with wide eyes, almost falling over. "What?"

"_But you didn't see it from me._" She smiled, walking away.

"Who are you, though?" Soren walked up to her, then suddenly, she was gone. The twittering that suddenly came from above him made him look to the skies, where a familiar looking orange and yellow bird flew. "...Yune."

* * *

><p>"What do you mean, we're in danger?" Ranulf asked, looking at Soren like he was crazy.<p>

"I saw a little kid in the square, she was signing in Old Style Tellius speech, and she told me that we're in danger." Soren stood by the door, Ike was looking at him as well. "And on a darker note, I tried to ask who she was, and suddenly, she was an orange and yellow bird. End of story."

They looked at him with mixed expressions, and by what Ike was visibly thinking, Soren muttered an annoyed curse.

"It's not that I don't believe you, Soren." Ike sighed, not wearing the required red jacket, leaving his pouffy shirt out in the open. "You were sitting in an orange box for months. You're probably seeing orange all over."

"Would you lay off the box? I got out...a little." Soren retorted. He paced along, still holding his notebook.

"Soren, you're nuts." Ranulf sighed, flopping on one of the inn beds they had gotten for Ike's amazing 'thief catching skills'.

"Oh-ho-ho, I'm the nuts one." Soren said in a mocking tone. "_I'm _not the one who wanted some crazy tactics for the war back home. Running in with no reason."

"That wasn't my idea!" Ranulf said angrily. "You're just pulling stuff up, now! First the crate, now the bird..."

"Why would I try and fake something like that? Hm?" Soren asked, trying to calm himself down. It didn't work like he wanted it to, because there was suddenly the little sparrow sized orange bird at the window again. "See? Look! At the window!"

Both Ranulf and Ike looked to the window, the little orange bird looked at them with beady eyes, then chirped, coming in the open window. Chirping again, it came in, sitting on Soren's head.

"...That could be any orange bird..." Ranulf muttered.

In an angry twitter, the bird flew over to the small chest of drawers and then changed to the little girl. Silence hung in the air, and she started to speak in a weak tone.

"_I'm here, so don't doubt me." _She said weakly. _"I told your friend to tell you to get out, but I guess you won't listen, hm?" _

This was the second time Ike had seen Yune, and neither were really on good terms. "S-sorry." Ike swallowed.

_"I'll tell you again, and for the last time. Get out of _Urbum Deorum if you want your lives. War is fast approaching between the Elves and the Branded." __ Yune said weakly. _"Death will make a black mark where this city used to be, and the false gods of this continent will be done."_

She disappeared in a swarm of orange feathers, flying off again through the window. Soren looked at them with eyes that proclaimed his being right. Ranulf was just sitting there with an expression between afraid and confused. Ike had his normal scowl on, just like he did when they were on the ship to Gallia back when Ashnard was in power of Crimea.

"Okay, that's it." Ike started unbuttoning the pouffy shirt, annoyed suddenly with the pouf itself. "We're going. Ranulf, find something that's going out of town, or we're walking. Gah, stupid buttons..."

"I'll pack up the things." Soren offered.

"No need. I still hadn't unpacked." Ike muttered. "I gotta get my boots back..."

They checked out in a flurry, finding Maria in the main entrance. "Hey, what are you-" Ike handed her the costume, and took his headband back.

"Sorry, I can't. Something popped up and-" Ike stopped himself, also picking up his steel toes that sat on the counter. "We had a predicament."

"Don't tell me..." She smiled. "You're nervous?"

"No, we just had Yune pop up in our room and tell us we needed to leave." Ranulf said with annoyance. "No questions asked."

Maria started laughing, and she wiped a faux tear from her eye. "You believe in that? You beleive in the Goddess of Order and The Goddess of Chaos?" She laughed, then put the Ezel costume down. "Oh, you foreigners are so funny. That is the biggest crock that I've ever heard."

Ike just shook his head, thinking back to the Tower of Guidance. "It would really help if you saw what I saw. Twice." Ike turned, leaving the shop and left Urbum Deorem all together. "And to the Wastes we go."

* * *

><p><em>Crappy chapter. I'm formulating some sort of resistance, so I'll make another chapter here soon! Read on and review~<em>


	4. Chapter 4

The wastes were about a hundred miles away, and that would take forever to get there by foot. The trio was a mile outside the town, Soren was pooped.

"...And I hope you all die there in that stupid town...they're the ones who have a crock of gods..." Soren muttered. He was tired, Ranulf was kind of on edge, and everyone in general was kind of out of it.

"Soren, give it up." Ranulf said, his hands on his hips, looking at the sky, still trotting along. "We're about two miles from town, they can't hear you anymore."

"Doesn't hurt to try." Soren muttered, hunched over and haggard. "You know what I never told you, Ranulf?"

"Here we go..." Ike sighed, seeing first hand what fatigue does to Soren.

"You're the only blue cat laguz that I know." Soren said. "Is that not weird? I mean, come on! You laguz make babies like rabbits and you're always out there... there has to be another blue cat!"

"I'm the only one in my family who's blue, Soren. I'm just different." Ranulf looked around, kind of taking to the greenery. "You know, this part of the forest actually looks like home. It's a little different, but still kind of similar."

"I hate it." Soren muttered, dark circles slowly appeared below his eyes. "I hate it all."

Ike sighed, stopping in the road and holding the map he bought in town. The whole continent was foreign to him, except for the notes in Heron Tongue. "It looks like we're in luck. The heron country is up ahead a few days."

"Days? You think it's good that we're _days_ away?" Soren growled. "I don't want _days, _I want _hours._"

"I want a bowl of chowder, but we're both not gonna get it." Ranulf sighed. "I wish that Oscar packed us some non perishable food..I love his cooking."

"I miss it." Soren sighed. "So much." Soren finally threw himself on the ground, throwing a fit. "Gaaaaaahhhh~" Soren whined. "I! Wanna! Go! Get! Food!"

Ike groaned, picking up Soren over his shoulder, and walking onward. "Come on, let's go. Nothing to see."

"...What the...?" Ranulf shook his head, looking at the odd pair. "You're just terrible."

"It works. Oh, but it works." Ike muttered. "He'll fall asleep in a few minutes."

* * *

><p>:::Later:::<p>

Soren dangled loosely as Ike walked down the dirt path. Ranulf was watching the young looking sage sleep. A small line of drool dyed Ike's shirt a dark navy blue, and the Vanguard was kind of upset about that.

"You know, he looks younger when he sleeps." Ranulf said. "That's weird."

Ike shrugged, looking forward. "You're bored, aren't you?" Ike asked, not trying to look behind him.

"Absolutely. After the fit, my entertainment died." The blue laguz sighed, looking around. "How far are we from Heron Country?"

"I haven't looked." He handed the map to Ranulf, still looking forward. "Do you know how to read it?"

"Sure...What was that last town that we passed?" Ranulf unfurled the paper map, looking at it.

"Calgrim." Ike said, Soren gave a loud snore, waking up.

"Hurr...Did I fall asleep?" Soren was suddenly red in the face, tapping Ike to make him down.

"Yep, you did." Ranulf snickered as Ike slung him down, the little sage teetered and started walking. "You look funny when you sleep."

"Ah-ha-ha-ha." Soren rolled his eyes, going back to his old self. "You make me sick."

"Yeah. He's back." Ike sighed.

* * *

><p><em>Waiting on those reviews for the OC's. :D I needed to get some filler done, so I did this chapter. It's a little under seven-hundred words, and I decided to do this. So, there's this. I'll work on this more, so I can get it done quickly!<em>


	5. Chapter 5

~The Wastes~

The morning was full of complaints, arguing and the whining of Laus. The little green haired thief was complaining about waking up in the morning, and it was all going downhill.

"I don't want to go outside!" He whined, laying his head on the small makeshift table in the small kitchen. The walls were crumbling, and the hearth was full of ashes, and in need to be cleaned. "I don't like the trees!"

A young-looking swordswoman was sitting at the table with a meager bowl of grits.

"Oh, shut up..." She muttered, looking at her little bother. He looked different from her, only because their moms were different. "You'll be fine."

"Says you, Nirr." Laus muttered

Skid and Urya were up and getting around, and arguing about knives and axes.

"I tell you, there's a better way to fight...Axes." Urya's purple hair was in a mess, she just woke up. "Your dinky knives couldn't get the broad side of a dragon." She wasn't wearing her heavy boots, and her armor wasn't on, either. She was wearing her sleeveless blue shirt and her buckskin pants. "You're so weird, Skidalphus"

"Don't call me that!" He growled, looking at her with a glare. "It's _Skid."_ He said menacingly. "Oh hey, where's Dante?"

"Elsewhere." Nirr said, looking out the window. "He should be back soon."

"Do you think that we could go out and see if Lauralie is okay? She's been running between the wastes and Heron Country so much, her wings are probably going to fall off..." Skid muttered. "Hmph..."

Nirr looked down at her grits, suddenly not very happy about it. "We're going out." She pulled Laus along, who cried as she dragged him along.

"Skid! Help me!" He groped the air, looking at them with his sad amber eyes. "Pleeaaassee!"

Skid laughed, pointing at him. "You're screwed, kid!" Dante came in just as Nirr left with Laus.

"Did I miss something?" He asked, his hair windswept. He took his gauntlets off, looking at the table. "Oh, grits!"

* * *

><p>~On the Road~<p>

"You're kidding me." Ike looked at the map, then at the land in front of him.

"There's a cliff there." Ranulf noted. They had gotten a good night's sleep, and even Soren was fine with that. Ranulf had gotten himself into a tree and slept there...but Ike and Soren were confined to the ground. It was all fine, though... just the ground.

"I'm going to absolutely die." Soren muttered. "We've got to go through a canyon?"

"It seems that way." Ike said, looking over the edge. "There's no way down..."

"Just great. Great." Ranulf sighed. "You think we can go around?"

Ike examined the map again, his eyes trained on the cliff area. "I think so. There's a bridge up northwest from here."

"How many miles?" Soren asked.

"Twenty." Ike groaned, setting off a chain reaction. He ruffled his blue hair, which was getting long now. Ranulf was doubled over, taking a look at his sandaled feet.

"You know, twenty miles isn't so bad..." Ranulf tried to smile, only coming up with a creepy grin that made even Soren jump.

"Ranulf, stop smiling. You're scaring everyone." Ike rolled up the map, toting his sword along in its scabbard and the map in the drawstring pack that he picked up in Urbum Doreum.

Ranulf let the slightly disturbing smile off his face, following Ike and Soren followed. "Can we take a bathroom break?" Ranulf asked.

"You just went a few minutes ago." Soren noted.

"Why are you keeping track?" Ranulf said, looking at him with concerned eyes.

"I have to do something. Otherwise, I'll get bored." Soren shrugged. "Anyway, it's better than watching you sleep."

Ranulf looked at him with a now seriously offended look, then looking at Ike. "Did you just hear him?"

"Hear what? I was reading the map." Ike looked at him, then back at the map.

"He watches me when I sleep!" Ranulf exclaimed, still walking along with them. "Is that not creepy?"

"It's creepy that you'd assume I'd do that!" Soren put on a face of faux horror, then complained to Ike. "Ranulf's accusing me of being a weirdo!"

"Ranulf, behave..." Ike muttered. "We've got a long time to go so you two better be nice."

"Yeah, Ranulf." Soren smiled smugly.

Ranulf slapped a palm to his forehead, his tail swishing angrily. "This is too much..."

"You're telling me..." Ike sighed, putting the map back again. We'll stop for lunch soon, so wet's make good progress."

"I'd be there already if you didn't mind me shifting and running there." Ranulf sighed. "But, I gotta stick with you..."

The trees were ending, and the forest was receding farther from the cliffside, and a path found its way from the forest. The ragged trail was a deer trail, worn in my the goat-like animals. Ranulf could smell them, they were closer than the Tellius deer would be. Some of the wildlife was peeking out at them, an odd bunch of raccoons came around, looking and peeking through the brush until Ranulf looked at them, then they quickly fled. A couple nomadic wolf Laguz pups popped out of the brush, a small boy and a girl who looked at them with a shy expression. They quickly disappeared and made quick work of what they were doing previously.

"They have wolf laguz here, too. Maybe more frivolous than Tellius' wolves..." Soren jotted down. "Very interesting."

"Says you..." Ranulf was getting cranky and hungry, Ike was stifling the urge to just sit down and not move again. Soren...Was just fine.

"Do you guys wanna sit or something?" Soren asked.

"YES." The two men plopped down, relieving their aching feet.

"How do you walk so much?" Ranulf asked. "Come on, I mean..."

"I don't complain. Much." Soren shrugged. "Don't say much, don't tell much."

* * *

><p><em>Okay, so I got a few OC's up in here, and I'm still accepting. I'll do another update when I have enough, but you can still offer up ideas. ^^ Thanks! I give credit to their owners for reading this (no matter what...?) But yeah! Thank you for lettin me use them! *bows*<em>


	6. Chapter 6

_Sorry! I've forgotten people! Oh, jeez! Well, I'll just have to do another introductory chapter! I'll keep the OC's open for another few days or so, and see what I get. I know how it feels to not be updated and informed, so yeah. I'll keep on it. ^^_

_Quick thanks to the reviewer 'That Guy'. Otherwise, (i have to admit...) My story would probably running ramped with 'Mary Sue' type OC's. And for the people who reviewed. I love getting these, and it helps with the morale of my story. Thank you all so much! -Nirr_

_PS. I'm in need of a cleric._

* * *

><p>~Wastes~<p>

The scraggily trees provided little cover for Laus and Nirr, leaving them out in the open. Dracoknights flew around, also having those elves on the backs of the dragons with bows. They could easily be shot and killed, just for being branded. How lovely was that idea. So a system arose, using Megan. She was usually out all day, but she kept watch from the top of the abandoned fort they called home and sent signals and camouflage. She was usually unseen, and Nirr liked that idea.

So, they listed for bird chirps for dragons, wildcats for riders, cawing for bandits, and either an arrow shot to the nearest tree to them or part of galdr for all clear. Dante would also circle around sometimes, just for clearing things.

"It's so hot out here...and the sun's not even out!" Laus whined, looking to his big sister. "How is that? We're the farthest north country and it's hotter than the fur on a lion's mane!"

"I don't know. Ashera made it happen." Nirr muttered, remembering not to taunt the goddess, otherwise worse things may happen. She found that out the hard way. "And it could be worse. You could be dead."

Laus whimpered, looking around nervously. His eyes were looking for some sort of thing that could go wrong. His ears were peeled for some sort of sound that could mean that he wouldn't have to go with this. Being with his bossy sister was enough for him, right?

A sudden caw from far away stopped Nirr in her tracks, he nose wrinkled in disgust. Her hands tensed, and she wondered why she hadn't seen it before. The fake sand mounds that circled here were moving, circling them.

"N-Nirr? What's going on?" Laus came closer to his sister, who drew her sword. "Are they moving...?"

One of the bandits laughed, uncovering himself. He looked nasty, as if he hadn't bathed for years, and all the men were the same way. "Oh, look. We found the general's misfit daughter and her little brother in the wastes." One chortled, looking at her with a perverse glint in his eye.

"What do you want, Doustra?" Nirr held Laus close, the little thief was almost about to cry in her shirt.

"We want the well. Ours dried up and we've been using the other clan's well water and the sparse rain. Drought season is pretty long, kiddo." Doustra, the main boss said with a smirk. "We'd leave you alone, but you wouldn't like the price."

"Tell me anyway." She growled.

"Your company." He retorted, tilting his head up and smiling. She could see the branded mark clearly on his neck, a swirling blue pattern. He and his group had some sort of mark, visible or not. "If you give us some kind, friendly, _gratifying_ company, I'll leave your little rat village alone. Deal?"

"Eat dragon poop and die." Nirr spat, hacking a loogie on his shoe. He looked at it, glaring back up at her.

He quickly advanced, suddenly a small scale war had started. Nirr pushed Laus back and took a small hit, just a scrape from a dull axe a little deeper than she would like. Clenching her fists in pain, she swung back at him, grazing his cheek. Laus was having a heck of a time trying to evade the couple mages and soldiers that were taking shots at him. Megan was taking cheap shots at them, hitting them so they couldn't move instead of attack. It was working better for for Nirr than Laus.

"Laus!" Nirr yelled, kicking Doustra in the gut and running to his aid. He was a little battered, but fine enough to sling over her shoulders and run back to the fort where everyone else was.

"Get back her you wench!" Someone got the idea to throw a sword, which actually ended in their favor. The tip grazed the side of her hip, which started bleeding profusely and hurting almost instantly. It was a venin edge.

"Nirr, are you okay?" Laus jiggled and jostled around as she hobbled, only a few more yards to go. Her sight was already losing its sharpness, and she was leaving red tracks. "Nirr! You're hurting yourself!" He exclaimed.

He jumped off her back, tumbling into the sand and hitting the ground running. He cupped his hands, making a distinct wolf cry. One low, One high after each other. '_Poison! Someone's hurt!_' the message said. Nirr had collapsed on the sand, and the bandits were coming fast. Laus had finally drawn his little dagger because of what had happened to Nirr. Dante had finally gotten to the scene when the bandits were three yards away, angry in all ways.

"Run you little fool, run!" Dante cawed, rescuing a dripping Nirr, who had passed out. Wide eyed and scared, Laus did what he was told, getting there just as soon as Dante did.

"Doustra...Bandits..." Laus panted, gaining the attention of everyone, pointing up to the small opening in the ceiling where Dante would come in. "Injuries..."

"Well, she's pretty popular." Ethan popped out of nowhere, gaining an odd look from Skid.

"When did you get here?" He asked the thunder mage.

"Why do you wanna know?" Ethan retorted, flipping his silver fringed ponytail.

"Shut up, you two." Urya growled, readying her axe. She of all people were ready for anyone to throw something through the window, and Megan was on the roof. "Get ready. Laus, get your knives. You two, Skid."

The two thieves were ready, and a quick notion from Megan on the roof gave proof that Dante was back and taking care of Nirr as she spoke.

"...Laus, where's Laus...?" Nirr muttered incoherently, her brown hair spilled out of her do-rag, and the color was drained from her face. Dante's eyebrows wrinkled, and he looked at Megan, who was having a hay-day.

"Megan, I'm going out to fight them. Don't let her die, kay?" And with that, he left a confused and blushing Megan on the roof with Nirr.

"W-What?" She looked around, seeing a blurry Nirr who sat in a contorted position. "Ohh...Oh no..." She panicked. Being a total ditz and for lack of vision, she ended up giving her a vulunery and bound her wound up poorly. "Don't die, okay?"

Nirr gave a short groan of understanding, dragging herself down the makeshift stairs and crawled up on a piece of furniture that barely struck an appearance of a couch. "I'm not dying, okay?" She lazily called, getting the attention of Laus, who whimpered and slumped into a shrug.

"Who's taking care of Nirr?" He groaned.

"Not it." Everyone called, not because they were inconsiderate, but because the bandits were about two yards away, and they weren't ready to give up the fort just yet.

They stayed like that until dusk, when everything calmed down and everyone was out of breath. Nirr had passed out on the couch, and everyone had minor scrapes and bruises. Ethan's tome was almost ripped in half by the close combat boss of the group, his axe splitting the binding in the book. Skid had lost some of his knives, and on a lighter note, Urya found a new axe after she went into a beserker rage and hit Doustra in the head long enough to get his axe, which was a nice tomahawk.

"...This turned out good." Urya smiled, polishing her new beauty. "Everyone's okay, right?"

There was a unanimous chorus of 'Mm-hmm', 'yep' and 'Sure'. Laus was slumped up against the couch, sleeping. Nirr was taken care of, and that ended the night.

"What were they charging at us for?" Skid asked, looking outside again. A couple stray arrows stuck out of the chinks of the walls, and blood was spilled on the sand.

"My guess..." Dante chimed in. "Water."

"That explains it." Urya said, looking at her polish job. "How much would this sell in the market, you think?"

"Enough to get a couple Hobb fish..." Megan squinted, looking at the axe with her head tilted back, trying to get a good view even through her red hair. "The big tuna."

Dante looked in the direction the word came from, his eyes almost glittering at the word 'fish'.

"Trade it. Trade it _now._" He said softly. "Traddeeee..."

Skid laughed a little, taking his knives off his arm. Everyone was at ease now, and all was well...for now.

* * *

><p><em>Oh my gosh! It's a chapter where something actually happened! I'm surprised! By the way, I'm having troubles writing for Ike. Any suggestions? I'm going to make a cut off here soon, and I'm liking the OC's! I may need a couple elves, cause I may just re-introduce Maria from Urbum Doreum...and I need a good name for an enemy. *Thinks of something like Zelgius* Maybe later. ^^<em>


	7. Chapter 7

_Yesss! Another chapter! Short warning, though: I'm having some problems and I might not be able to update as much as I already do. So, it's just another way of saying 'I'm being mean to you and making cliff hangers if I don't get on fanfiction. buwhahaaa.'...Maybe. _

_Ps, I don't own fire emblem, or even some of the OC's. And I really (i looked over it today... .) need to work on my battle scenes. _

* * *

><p>"So you're telling me..." Ranulf said, petting his invisible beard while talking to Soren. The trio had been walking for an hour now, the sun was barely off the top of the hills.<p>

"Yes..." Soren trailed off, still a little out of character from all that happened.

"That you want a decent night..." He trailed off, making Soren's eyebrows furrow in annoyance.

"_Yes..." _He waved his hand, trying to get Ranulf to finish his sentence.

"On the ground again." Ranulf finished, watching the little beorec almost rip out his raven colored hair. He gave a good chortle before Soren kicked his shin, setting off a skirmish.

"Ike, he's driving me nuts! I haven't gotten a decent night's sleep since I don't know when, and I feel like I've been laying in a hog pen." Soren was evading Ranulf's attempts at headlocks, noogies, and any other sort of thing he tried.

"I don't know what to tell you. The closest town off the route is about a day or two away." Ike said, looking back at the two. "Ranulf, what are you doing?" Ike stopped, taking in the scene. Soren was in a headlock, trying to get out, while Ranulf was trying to knuckle his head in, it seemed. "You two act like children..."

"I haven't slept in _days._" Soren said, looking at him. "I'm bound to be _different._" He said.

Suddenly, the bushes trembled furiously, all three looked to their right. Ike's brow was wrinkled, that familiar scowl back. Soren pulled himself out of the headlock and looked, getting that 'tactician' face.

"I don't think that's a rabbit in that bush..." Ranulf said slowly.

As soon as he uttered the last word, a pack of wolf laguz had spilled out of the woods, surrounding them all. In no time, the pack had disarmed Ike, taken a bite out of Soren's tome and had Ranulf in a spot where he couldn't get his Olivi Grass.

All the wolves differed in size and shape, meaning they were all ages. All decorated with some sort of defining characteristic, they growled and barked, getting the three in a tight circle.

"What is the meaning of this?" Soren asked, scared into his old self again.

"You were trespassing on Lupus Territory." A lone female figure came out of the brush and suddenly the wolves went quiet. "You were trespassing on _my_ land. So _my _people and I are here to confront you beorec." She had deeply tanned skin, decorated with tattoos and other marks. She wore deer-skin clothes and what looked like hand made sandals. Her ears poked through a mass of untamed black hair, and her white tail swished back and forth in annoyance. "So, what do you want? Trade? Gold? What will make you not want to take our land?" She glared.

"We're not surveyors, Madam." Soren said, evading the glare of the wolves and looking to their leader. "We're travelers from across the sea."

"Travelers, eh?" She laughed, looking at them. "You all look like a bunch of liars to me. The last group said that, and they ended up stealing away children. I'm not believing you, young lady."

Soren's eye twitched, and he clenched his fists.

"Um, I hate to say it but he's-"

"Silence!" She yelled, looking at them. "Bind them up and head back home. Trespassers and liars will be punished...severely."

"Ike, what do we do?" Ranulf whispered, looking at his friend as the wolves closed in, some shifting back.

"We're outnumbered, disarmed, and unable to fight." Ike said. "The best we can do is try and convince them we're not bad and wait for the best to happen." He said.

"If all goes downhill...Ike, you've been the best commander I've ever had, and Ranulf..." Soren stopped, trying to think it through. "...You smell like cat."

* * *

><p>~Later~<p>

The encampment of the wolves was much like a village. There was a small trading shop, a medical tent, a few huts and houses, and there was also a place for children to play. The little laguz children would grow up to be warriors, and by the looks of it, they'd be good. They gawked at the odd beorec people who were sitting in what they roughly called the 'jail tree', because the thick roots were wrenched out of the ground like bars of a prison, and there was only one way out, which was through the hole in the top of the roots, and even that was impossible to get out of.

"Why would they think we're child thieves?" Ranulf was pacing around the dirt floor with his tail swishing madly. His ears were pushed back against his head, and he seemed to glare at the children who stared too much. "Do I really look like the kind of guy to do that?"

Ike shrugged, drawing in the dirt with a stick. "I wouldn't know. Never met one."

"You don't." Soren said. He had tried to go to sleep on the ground, but that wasn't working for him. The whole thing with the imprisonment brought him back to his normal mindset-the sarcastic and slightly smarter version of Soren was back for now.

"That's reassuring." Ranulf sighed, looking at the little kids. "Hello there..."

They ran off, giggling and smiling. They had no clue why the funny looking people were there, and they really wanted to play.

"Cute little things, aren't they?" Said another voice. Everyone looked around, finally seeing the person huddled in the corner. She looked a little on the thin side, and her purple hair was a little dirty, and her glasses were a little less than clean. Her grey tunic and white pants had seen better days, and her boots were gone. "Too bad they're already able to tear out your throat at this age."

"Who are you?" Soren asked, his reddish eyes were curious.

"Charlene Chevailer, or since I'm as slave now to the Lupus Clan, I'm just Charlene." She smiled, looking at Ike. "You don't look too bad there, ranger."

Ranulf reeled back, looking at her like she was crazy. "Are they feeding you some crazy herb or something?"

She gave a hearty guffaw, standing up and poking him in the chest. "No, but I can get crazy if you want."

"Um, no thanks..." Ranulf looked at her, glancing at Ike and Soren for help. He backed away, she laughed again and plopped back down on the ground.

"Oh, you're so funny. I haven't seen any guy like that in a long time." She laughed. "Who are you guys?"

"I'm almost afraid to tell you." Ike said, making his scowl again.

"He's Ike, I'm Soren and you already intimidated Ranulf." Soren said, looking at her.

"...I thought you'd have a more masculine name for a little boy." She looked back at him, blue eyes visible over her glasses.

Soren looked slightly grateful that she didn't call him a girl like the rest of the people, and that she was actually one of the more friendly ones. "That's the name I was given, that's how I've known myself most of my life." He said. "I'm sticking with it."

"You got a last name?" Charlene asked, looking at Ike.

"...Greilson." He replied. "He was in an orange crate when I took up mine."

"You say that like you're from a different country." She said with a smirk.

"That's cause we are. Different one on the other side of the world." Ike replied. "What about you?"

"I've lived in Lathua for my life, I decided one day that I would join the rebel force in the Wastes because the stupid army of Aecorlitus and King Oliver...that pig...attacked my home and killed my family. I tried fleeing to Heron-Country, they're neutral, and I got picked up by the Lupus Clan."

"Oh, I see." Soren said. "Why'd they kill your family?"

She gave a tired smirk, from explaining it so many times to herself and everyone. "My family was branded. Everyone except me was part hawk." She said. "I can see that you're a branded, but you're just not recognized by everyone. It's in your eyes. Red like dragon fire."

"Do you think we can expect to be here for a while?" Ranulf asked, looking at the sky. It was high noon, and the wolves had quieted down.

"Oh, I've been here a year. Hopefully they'll take pity on you." She said, brushing her bangs back. "Hoping for pity is your best way out of here. Either that or death."

* * *

><p><em>Well, yeah. This works, right? I'm doing the Elven OC's cause I need some of my own cruelty to come out. (MUAHAHAAHAA! *cough cough*) But this is good...good.<em>


	8. Chapter 8

_Well, yeah. This is going well. (being random here -) Anyone hear about the new Fire Emblem for the 3DS? *Rages* I love it, but I can't get myself to really buy a 3DS, and therefore, I'm gonna be stuck with Shadow Dragon (and maybe the new mystery of the Emblem) for the rest of my life... _

_Oh well. ^^ more fun with Marth(a). *Gets shot by rabid fangirl* I don't own Fire Emblem. *Dies*_

* * *

><p>~Wastes~<p>

Everyone woke up to an odd sound, it wasn't necessarily annoying more than odd. Everyone had been milling around after they woke up, doing their own things and leaving themselves to their own devices.

"It's raining..." Megan said, squinting outside. "Looks like there may be a flash flood going on a ways away." Everyone knew it was farther out, so they wouldn't be in any danger now...

Everyone crowded to the windows, looking at the odd appearance. Everyone, branded or not, had somewhat forgotten about the rain. Being in the wastelands, you had a little window of time where rain came and you filled up your well.

"Hey, what about Laus?" Ethan asked, almost wanting to go outside for a while. "We gonna get him awake or not?"

Urya shrugged, taking off her armor and thus ending last night's 'tank' status. "Nah. Just let him sleep. We had a rough night."

"Rough? That was only a whole defensive war out there." Skid said, looking warily outside. "...Flash floods...bah." He muttered softly.

"Anyone else going out?" Meg was already out the door, playing out in the rain. "It's actually cold out here!"

"I'll get you warm again!" Ethan ran outside, skidding to a stop. "Oh, that turned out wrong..."

Dante chortled and stepped out, followed by a wary Skid.

"If we get flooded, I'm outta here..." Skid muttered, running a hand through hid pine colored hair.

"Chicken-wuss..." Urya mouthed, making everyone laugh some.

Inside, Laus and Nirr were still asleep, just listening to everyone enjoy the rain. Simple, odd, pleasures kept this motley group together, and the fact that they all wanted the same things. Freedom. Acceptance. Another chance. Even a chance to get a crack at the government and obliterate the inconsiderate rule that banned them to the Wastes in the first place.

Little did they know, they'd get their wish...

* * *

><p>~Lupus Clan~<p>

The rain was in the woods, and with that, a wet and cold Soren huddled next to Ike, who was next to Ranulf, who sat next to a smugly smiling Charlene.

"Lovely weather today, don't you think?"

They were sitting on the only dry spot around, and they were all pretty darn cold. A day had passed since they met Charlene, and the night consisted of Ike constantly moving around to shake Charlene out, who was complaining that she was cold. Ranulf laughed until she got comfy on Ranulf for the night. Then in the morning, she was cuddling with a still sleeping Soren. He slept well, which was kind of...awkward.

"I cannot believe I did that..." Soren looked straight ahead, focusing on some of the roots. "Charlene, I swear on my life..."

"Oh, you liked it." Charlene smiled, looking around. "You slept like a baby."

"Wish I could say the same..." Ranulf glared at her, and she smiled back.

"Quit talking, beorecs!" Said the sentry up on top of the root cage.

"Oh, why don't you make me!" Charlene called defiantly. She laughed, jerking a thumb up at the ceiling. "He never does anything, so we're fine. They actually don't listen or give any mind to prisoners."

"Says you..." Soren muttered. He was plotting, Ike could see that. His eyes were focused on something in the distance, and he was eying the trading shop. He looked at the others, suddenly adding something up.

"What are you thinking, Soren?" Ike mouthed, looking at him.

"We're kind of screwed here." Soren said, looking at him with a sigh. "I mean, they've got this place guarded so that we're always overtaken by their sheer numbers."

"Way to find that out, mister positive!" Charlene gave a thumbs up, looking at him. "I agree with him, though. There's no way out."

"Unless we die." Ranulf said, an epiphany hit him suddenly.

"We're gonna kill ourselves?" Ike asked, looking at him with concern. "Ranulf, that's kind of dark."

"No, no, no! Not like that!" Ranulf said. "_Play _dead_." _He triumphantly smiled. "Is there anything that you know of that would help us with that?"

"I think there's some somnum weed her somewhere."

"Thank you, Charlene." Ranulf nodded, realizing that she hadn't said such a thing. "Wait, what?" His ears folded back as he saw her, sitting outside the cage.

She looked a lot like Luna, the clan leader, but a little milder. Her dark hair was probably chocolate if not drenched by the rain, and her black tipped ears were up, giving a sign of friendliness. She wore a longer loose fitting green tunic and a skirt. She sat on her knees, letting her tail flop over them.

"Yeah, there's some over by the camp limits. It'll help you with your escape, no?" She said, making her tail flop a little.

"Umm..." Ranulf had his ears still flat, looking at her. "How long have you been listening?"

"Since the rain started. I've been sitting out here for a while." She replied, flipping her hair which stopped at her chin. She was deeply tan like Luna, and she was friendlier, to say the least. "I'm Stella, Luna's sister."

"Say what?" Charlene asked, looking a little bug eyed. "How can you be the amazon's sister? You're so little!"

"Different fathers." She smiled. "I'll sneak you the somnum weed when I have supper duties." She whispered, leaning into the bars of the prison. "I'll suggest a good burial and make sure you don't get buried alive for long."

Soren looked a little disturbed by the buried alive idea, but since he didn't think of it and the idea sounded legit, he was in for it. "You'd really do this? For a bunch of beorecs?"

"They saved _my_ life. Why can't I save you from dying here?" She said, getting up and leaving.

"Odd girl." Soren muttered.

"She's nuts." Ike said, looking at Ranulf. "We'll owe her if this works."

"She's pretty..." Ranulf said stupidly, catching himself. "Er, pretty smart."

The rain went on for the whole day, and eventually, they all had to re-arrange themselves because Charlene and Ranulf were having problems. Let's just say that she had Ranulf's shirt half off. And then Ike stepped in and had no problem with tying her to one of the roots with his headband. Charlene got a kick out of that until it actually happened. So, the rest of the night, she sat there, yelling profanities and watching Soren, Ike and Ranulf laugh themselves to sleep.

"Stupid people..." Muttered the sentry as he too was nodding off.

* * *

><p>Well, that was interesting. Don't get weirded out by the rain chapter. People can do that in the desert when they don't get much rain, right? RIGHT? Q_Q but yeah, I felt like writing that. Thanks for the criticisms, cause I need 'em. Just learning from Fanfiction helps me soo much. XD<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

_Gaah, this is so fun! I can't stop, I think._

*_Goes on with normal disclaimer_*

* * *

><p>~One day later~ City of Laurel~<p>

The ornate walls still amused Damion, and even though he wasn't the only one there, he felt as if he was the only one there. His blue eyes followed the celtic patterns of the stain glass dome overhead, coloring everything pastel in the high noon light. Nightelves weren't really awake at noon, but there's a first for everything, right?

"Damion, pay attention." Callen nudged him, her pale skin touching his and bringing him out of his daze.

"Sorry, Callen." He walked along with his friend, a former Tree-elf that took up being a sage. Her leaf colored hair and sage colored eyes gave her away, even the slight green hue that was slowly fading from her skin spelled her out. She carried a fire tome like it was her life, and held her head high in the Capitol Building. Her fancy cape was about as ornate as the building itself, it was a flashy purple color and edged in gold to top it all off. "I feel so under-dressed."

Damion hinted at his white tunic and lack of shoes, not to mention his ear piercings and the tear shaped necklace that hung under his shirt. His black hair was under kept, and the lines of red that ran down his cheeks made people look at him oddly. Someone actually thought he was crying blood, because most Nightelves don't do that. He just had to explain to them that he had a small curse that was given to him when he was a baby so that he wouldn't ever use the magic that Circe had given him...for some odd reason.

"You're fine." Callen frowned, licking her hand and smoothing some of his hair back. Damion looked at her disgustedly and following her around. People swarmed around, many a maid and soldier came here, along with the civilians to do taxes and pay things off. "We're only enlisting."

"You say it like it's as easy as eating." Damion's mind wandered back to food, which he missed this morning.

"It is. They check your skills, and you're either in or out." Callen smiled, finding her way to the correct room. "You'll get in when you tell them you have the Fire of Circe." She said, stepping in.

What she meant was that he was able to create blue flames and set things alight, casting out flames. Any time he did, he would gain a little more on his 'streaks' on his face. Along with that, he had an odd tattoo on his shoulder, resembling an odd medallion he had seen in his dreams.

"Yeah...sure." Damion followed her, seeing the long line of people who were throwing their lives away to war. Damion had to because he had gotten the draft letter and Callen pushed him to. "Woopdie doo."

"Maybe you'll get to be the sharpshooter that gets to fly with the dragon riders..." Callen mused. "You are handy with a sword, though..."

"When I want to." He added. "I'm not cut out for war, Callen."

"Sure you are." She smiled, looking back at him. "I'm not cut out for house work, so I'm not doing that, now am I?"

"They kicked you out, Callen. You burn water and kill plants." Damion smiled. "You're terrible at life."

She huffed, closing her eyes and raising an eyebrow. "So I am...So I am..." She finally laughed, making Damion smile. "But at least I'm doing something for the country. I'd hate to see those Branded get some sort of right. They're like monsters."

"...Yeah..." Damion trailed off, not quite agreeing with her. "...Such monsters."

"Glad you agree, son." A soldier clapped a hand on his shoulder, making him jump. "We'll be pushing those buggers even farther back if we can get some dragon wranglers up."

"Oh, that's good!" Callen smiled. "That's really good! We'll reclaim the desert after that, right?"

"That's what we're planning." Another came around, all clad in his armor as well. "For Terrasancta!"

"For Terrasancta!" Everyone in the room chimed in, except Damion.

"You okay?" Callen asked as the soldiers went off and the chatter in the room quieted down.

"Fine. I need some air." He stepped out of the room, only a few places away from the drafting station. When he hit the lobby, he ran out the doors and into the streets. He kept running after that, dodging people and weaving through the carts and horses. He finally made it to his destination, a deep river on the other side of the town. Crumpling from his sprint, he went to his knees and looked in the clear water. "...I can't do this...I can't..."

He pulled the tear shaped gem out from under his shirt, looking at the sheer blue-ness of it. His mother had given it to him before they burned her at the stake for proclaiming that she was a deciple of Asheruna. _'Carry it on you for her divine protection, Damion. Live on, for me.'_ The words echoed in his head, making his eyes water. "Oh, mom..." He sighed, letting himself fall under the current. He hit the rocky bottom with a muffled thump and sat there for a minute before swimming downstream. The fish didn't take a second glance at him before swimming away. The cool water cleared his mind a little, and he could finally think again.

He couldn't let himself forget that she was gone, and that he was wanted for war. If not, he'd be burnt publicly as well. If he mentioned Asheruna, he'd be tortured then burnt. Even better yet, if he did all this, he'd be tortured, burnt and called a traitor of Terrasancta and all his children (if he had any) would be killed as well.

'_What a cruel country. We're so uncivilized...' _He thought, still swimming along. '_We need a good revolution._'

* * *

><p>~Lupus Clan~<p>

"Okay, that dream was awkward..." Ike sat up in the morning, his cheek coated in dirt. He finally looked to his left and saw his headband-tied hands and Charlene cuddling Soren again. "I guess that wasn't a dream after all."

Ranulf was curled in a ball on the far-side of the area, tail tucked up by his shoes. He got up, stretching like his catty self and proceeded to rub his eyes. "Good morning..." He muttered. "Today's the day...we spring." He said contently, holding up a purple tinged weed. "After lunch, we take it."

Soren finally woke up slowly, looking at Charlene with angry eyes. "Really? Could you not cuddle me?" He pushed her away, getting up and sitting by Ranulf. "This is just ludicrous."

"Oh, it was fine to me." Charlene smiled, twirling her hair. "Just _fine._"

* * *

><p><em>It could get even more awkward, couldn't it? Poor Soren! XD<em>


	10. Chapter 10

_More writing! And yes, elves are more racist than the beorecs. That's sad...not really. Kinda. *I don't own...anything... D:_

* * *

><p><em>~Wastes~<em>

_"_What do you mean the well's dry?" Nirr looked Urya, who stood in front of her with her arms crossed.

"It dried up last night. I have no clue how, but we're moving. If not, we'll all die." Urya said. Everyone was packing up, ready to move somewhere else in the Wastes. "I have a feeling that it was those stupid bandits that were around the other day, but I could be wrong." She sighed, looking around. "You'd better get your stuff packed up. We're moving into Heron-Country. Lillia is taking pity on us and we're staying in the woods."

Urya walked off, pulling up her purple hair that was dampened with sweat. The fort looked more like it's former self, now a crumbling hut in the middle of nowhere. With a saddened sigh, Nirr went to her and Laus' designated room, which was a crawlspace that was changed in to a room by digging away the crumbling foundation. Crawling down there and sitting on her knees, she surveyed her things.

Laus had already gotten his stuff cleared out, leaving Nirr her cape, an oddly colored rock she found, and a couple old letters that she had kept. Most of them were letters of congratulation on getting into the Academy of Laurel and being an upstanding musician. Figures, really. A letter from her missing mother was on top, all tied together by a stray red string. The odd rock sat on top, it's greyish blue hue was dimmed by the lack of light, and her cape was on her wall hanging by a nail.

"Oh, the memories..." Nirr sighed, picking it all up and cramming the letters into her back pocket. "...I'll miss them."

"Nirr, are you down there?"

She hit her head on the ceiling, which was low to begin with. Groaning and holding her head, she turned around. "Yeah, I'm down here." She grumbled, getting her cape and the rock. "Whaddya want?"

"We're going, okay?" Laus said, looking down the crawlspace. He frowned when he saw the dust, wondering how he lived down there.

"Yeah, yeah..." Nirr sighed, pulling her cape around her shoulders and crawling back up the crawlspace. "I'm coming..."

* * *

><p>~Lupus Clan~Later That Night~<p>

Stella looked through her window at the last group of wolves coming back from the woods. The somnum weed must have worked, because she actually thought they were dead before she remembered that she gave them the weed. The small branded gir-er, _boy _had gone first, and then Charlene, followed by the cat laguz and lastly, Ike.

They were complaining that he was heavy, and Stella couldn't disagree. He had so many muscles and well...he was beorec. They were _heavy_.

"You worried about something?" Luna came in from outside, just getting back from a last run around the area.

Stella frowned, looking at her with a shaking of her head. "Nuh-uh." She said. "I'm just confused."

"Ah." Luna said, looking at her bunk longingly. "I'm going to bed for the night...I'm so tired..." She stumbled over, hitting the mattress hard. Stella looked at her curiously, going over and poking her face before declaring that the couple somnum leaves she slipped her had gotten in her lunch. _Perfect._

"Watch the house, okay?" She patted her sister's head and ran out the door, going to get the escapees. She could barely see in the darkness, and the tree brush hit her face as she blindly ran. '_I hope they're okay...' _Stella stepped on a loose mound of dirt about fifteen meters from the camp, and she heard a muffled '_Ow.' _She stumbled to a stop, digging in the dirt.

She finally saw the dirt covered face of Soren, who was angry. "You are one crazy laguz." He spat, wrenching himself out of the ground and stood up, brushing himself off. "This is the _last _time I'm playing dead. The next time, I'm playing for real." He looked around, seeing the other mounds and hopped on the one Ranulf was under.

"HEY!" He sat up, looking around and removed most of the dirt from his hair before standing up. "I was awake, you know." He stretched, looking around. "Where's Ike?"

Soren dug him out, he was still dazed. "...Are we out yet?"

"Where's Charlene?" Ranulf asked, suddenly a hand burst out of the ground, grabbing Ranulf's foot. His eyes bulged as he pulled away, the muffled laughter of Charlene emerged as she got up. "You evil-!"

She chortled some more, smiling to herself. "Oh, you should have heard yourself. You almost screamed!"

"Because something spurted out of the ground and grabbed my foot." He muttered.

"You guys be serious." Stella said, supporting a still drowsy Ike. "Sang has your things. He's on the edge of the clan grounds, and he's ready to go." She looked around, her ears twitched as she heard the others found out she was missing. "You don't have much time. You all smell like dirt, so they won't find you." She handed off Ike to Ranulf, who nodded to her.

"Will you be okay?" Ranulf asked, tuning Ike around to go.

"Yes, I'll be just fine." She said with a quick smile, trotting off. "I hope we can meet again on better terms, Ranulf."

Ranulf flushed red in the dark, his cat eyes caught one last glimpse of him before they parted ways. He heaved Ike along, Ike tried walking, and it didn't work

"Please tell me this'll be the last time we do this..." Ike muttered incoherently, trying not to be heard.

"Oh, this'll be the last time. I can tell you that without Soren's ideology." Ranulf replied, still dragging him. "I may be laguz here, but could you at least try to walk?"

"Sorry, my feet are still asleep." Ike replied. "Hey Ranulf?"

The yells and barking of the approaching wolves could be heard, and Soren was calling for Ranulf to hurry up. Ranulf gave a quick grunt, pulling Ike's arm over his shoulders. "Yeah?"

"Did you have a dream at all when you fell asleep?" Ike asked, starting to wake up in real time.

"Yeah. It was weird. I saw people I never met before, all around a huge table and at the end was Asheruna." Ranulf said. "What about you?"

"...I had a meaningful conversation with my parents." Ike said plainly, a tinge of forgotten sorrow in his voice. "It felt so real, but I know I was asleep."

"What did you talk about?" Ranulf asked, almost falling over his feet.

"...What I was going to have to do soon? They said something about war, and liberation. You know, why is it that we always get caught up in the liberation wars?"

"I don't know. I really don't know." Ranulf let Ike walk on his own and they worked to a jog and caught up with Soren and Charlene. A taller looking laguz male was up ahead, talking with Soren. "Is that our guide?"

He looked kind of young, but then again, he was laguz. They all looked young...except for Nealuchi. He looked honestly old. He carried a faintly glowing oil lamp that illuminated his face and one could see that he was laguz.

"Over here," Soren said in a hushed tone. "This is Sang. Stella said he's bringing us out of the territory and into Heron-Country. That's all the farther he can go." He handed Ike his sheathed sword and Charlene her boots and stave. Soren already had his tome, so he was just content.

"I'll get you there, don't worry." He smiled faintly, exposing a few pearly white teeth. "We'd better hurry. They're gaining on us." He turned and put out the lamp, making Charlene laugh.

"I'd rather be gaining on you, big boy." Charlene said softly. The next thing one heard was a yip from Sang, and Charlene's short laugh. "I have no limits, so be careful."

"She means that..." Ranulf muttered, rolling his eyes.

* * *

><p><em>*Raises arms* They've escaped! I had trouble writing this, and I was thinking about what it would look like if it were in the game. It would be a cut-scene, no? What do you think?<em>


	11. Chapter 11

~A few miles from Heron Country~

It was kind of a dumb idea of arguing about age. It could have been the night or two Urya had without sleep, or maybe the general irritability of Skid. Or maybe it was Ethan just popping around randomly for the heck of it was what set everyone off.

"You know, I'm older than you." Skid said, looking at Urya. "I should be in charge."

She waved it off, holding her tomahawk a little tighter, trying not to smite him.

"If you're older, I'm a goat." She laughed, toting the large axe on her shoulder. "Anyway, if you were older, you'd be running the joint, and that wouldn't be pretty."

She gave a creepy look at him, the shadows of the early twilight hit her face just right so when some people (Laus...) saw the face, some broke out crying. "You don't have the strength to."

Skid just looked at her, his eyebrow twitching a little bit.

"You're not serious, are you?" He retorted. "I could keep this house in order."

"Then you have to know everyone. What does Dante eat when he can?" Urya asked, still tromping along. The sand turned to sandy dirt a while ago, and some were emptying their boots of the grainy sands.

"Easy. Rabbit." Skid smiled.

"Nope. Fish." Dante said with a plain expression. He was flying around, kind of bouncing and flapping around.

"Megan has glasses, yes or no?" Urya shot out.

"No. But she squints." Skid said, this time thinking a little more. "And I know that Ethan has his agenda."

"Right I do." He popped out of nowhere, freaking the crap out of Laus. "Covered in leaves, he looked like a forest monster.

"The forests are about five miles away! How do you manage to get leaves on you?" Dante asked, a little confused.

"I was in the bush." He said quickly, suddenly taking it back. "In the non-weird way. I wasn't spying..."

"Nobody was thinking like that, Ethan." Nirr muttered.

"Hey, sis? Can I be on your back? I'm tired, and I don't think I can walk anymore..." Laus yawned, rubbing his eyes and tromping along.

"Sure..." Nirr stopped and let her brother get up on her back, where he promptly put his head on her shoulder and fell asleep. "Just don't move around so much, okay?"

"Mm-Hmm..." He replied.

"You really care about him, don't you?" Megan asked, making a smiling squint in Nirr's direction.

"Of course." Nirr shrugged Laus up a little farther, making sure he wouldn't fall off. "He's my brother."

Ever since they were kicked out of Aecorlitus, Laus turned into the only person Nirr had cared about. Wandering the Wastes on the brink of dehydration and death, Urya and Skid ended up finding the duo and taking them in. After that, Dante and Megan came around, Megan was either really sunburnt or just blushing because she was following at least five feet behind Dante. Ethan just popped up one day, and nobody questioned him. They made quite the family, and they were bound to gain more people in their clique.

"He doesn't look like you though." Urya said, looking at the sky.

Nirr hiked Laus up again, he was getting a little heavy now. "We've got different mothers. His mother died when he was born. We've got the same father, though." Nirr said, looking down. Laus was pulling off her bandana, and her hair was falling out of it again.

"I can tell." Urya smiled. "What do you say we stop for the night?"

Everyone agreed, getting to where the shrubbery started, giving them cover if they stayed below the leaves. Everyone took turns taking watch, the first round was Nirr and Urya. The two sat in the brush, keeping watch.

Silence hung thick in the air, Nirr was sure that someone could cut it, it was that thick. Urya let out a sigh as she lay back in the sandy black dirt, looking up at the starry sky. "Doesn't it look nice out?" Urya smiled, looking over at Nirr. "The moon's full, too. I hate to say it, but I really wanna howl right now. Just to get it out of my senses."

"Why? You're not a wolf laguz, are you?" Nirr said mindlessly.

Urya only laughed, looking back up at the sky. Her purple hair was spread out in the sand, and she looked at ease. "I'm just half, like the majority of us."

"I'm so sorry..." Nirr said, her eyes giving more apology than her voice. "I didn't mean..."

"It's okay. I won't hold you to anything...what are you, then? I'm wolf, Skid's a cat, Dante is just a full crow..." She rolled to her side, slightly smiling like the wolves only could. "You strike me as a hawk or something."

Nirr shook her head, looking away. "Nope. Not at all. I can't say."

"Oh come on. If you give me a name I could guess who." Urya said. "It won't hurt you. I won't tell, I swear on my life."

"My mother's name was Lillia. Okay?" Nirr spat, hiding her face in her knees. "My father was visiting Heron country and...I came around nine months later. A shriveled, crying, ugly, singing baby."

Urya's face stayed emotionless, looking at her with somewhat angered eyes instead. "That's the best it could get for you. You don't look one lick of Heron to me. It's only in your eyes. You've got those clear blue eyes Lillia does." Urya smiled. "And don't worry. I've seen your tattoos, too."

Nirr looked at her, blushing wildly. "What?"

Urya chortled, looking at her with a genuine smile. "No, if you keep your back covered, nobody can see those marks. They look like wings, really." She smiled. "Very beautiful on a lovely girl."

She looked away from Urya, still beet red. "...Thank you."

"No problem." Urya said, looking at the sky again. "One of these days, I will let one off."

"Urya, that's gross!" Nirr said, her brow furrowed in disgust.

"Not one of _those_, silly. You must think I'm a man or something because I said that." Urya gave a hearty laugh. "No, I'll howl one day. It'll sound so real, it'll blow your socks off."

"I'll be there to see it, then." Nirr replied.

"You'd better be."

When their shift was over, Dante and Ethan took over, and it ended up being just Dante. Urya took another shift because of Megan and her squinting, but she just sat out there with a tired Urya and Skid. Urya eventually fell asleep sitting up and with her eyes open, to everyone's displeasure. It looked pretty creepy.

* * *

><p><em>Well, they're closer and closer to meeting. Who knows what I'll have in store next! *Raises hand* I know~~<em>

_Ike: Well, you should know..._

_Me: I'll forget if you're not nice... *glares like Urya*_


	12. Chapter 12

~Ike~ Around the North West border of Aecorlitius and Heron-Country~

The morning air was crisp. It was almost as if it were just for them, the best day of travel. They were only a day or so away from Heron-Country, and then they were all home free. Sang decided that he would just stay with them in Heron-Country just because. Soren would be happy when Charlene would go away and do her own thing, because quite frankly, he was getting tired of her shenanigans.

It was around noon when the group had settled down for a mid afternoon rest. In that time, Sang was sitting there with his brow furrowed, deep in thought.

"Something bothering you, Sang?" Ranulf asked, taking a sip from the canteen he had brought along. "You look perplexed."

"...Does anyone wanna fight? You know, just for fun?" He asked, the unnoticed remains of a pair of shackles clinked on his wrists. "Come on, nobody will take me seriously back home."

Ike shrugged, remembering how his fight with Skrimir ended. It was fun, to say the least, but how would fighting with a wolf laguz such as Sang be any different? Ike soon regretted asking himself that question.

"On your ready." Ike said, pulling out Ettard. In a split second, Sang was already shifted and pummeled Ike over, trying to eat his face, snarling and everything. Sang's paws were on flat of Ettard and Charlene was standing by, looking at the fight going on.

Ike finally got enough strength to fight the huge wolf off, and he recovered easily. He was slightly slouched down, teeth all exposed and he looked all sorts of menacing. Sang tried again to get Ike down, but this time he dodged, moving around and trying to evade Snag's huge claws. Multiple swipes raked his clothes, but no damage was done...well, not to Ike. His shirt was another subject entirely. Sang got up on his hind legs, forcing Ike to one of the tall sycamore trees with his sword between him. Snapping at him with barks and growls, Ike could see why nobody challenged him.

"Come on, Ike! Do something! Aether him!" Ranulf called, shaking his fist in the air. Soren hit him with his tome, making Ranulf try and get back at him.

"You're not helping!" Ike yelled back, fending the wolf off. He had flecks of drool on his face along with sweat and a thin streak of blood from the first pummeling. "Get off!" Ike gave a quick slash, turning Ettard on it's side and slashing his front paws. Sang whimpered and withdrew, showing even more pearly white teeth.

Sang sped around, looking for a way to get at Ike again. But alas, Ike knew wolves do that when trying to get at the back of the neck. Ike looked over his shoulder, making him think that he had him cornered. Just as Sang tried getting to him, Ike swung around, hitting Sang in the chest, making a wide, but not too deep, slash. The lupine fell, making a large thud on the ground. His black-brown fur showed signs of blood, it matted his fur and his paws were dirty and clotted.

The funny thing was, he didn't give up. After many, many, many attack attempts and successes, both were scratched, cut, bleeding, seeing double and about to pass out. Sang had reverted, showing the injuries worse than when he was wolf.

"A-are you giving up...?" Ike panted, trying to get the second Sang out of the picture.

"N-Not y-yet..." Sang shook his head, sending a couple drops of blood to the ground. "...I think you dropped your sword..."

"So I did..." Ike panted, making a futile attempt at a charge. "Gaaahhh..."

"Raaahhh..." Sang did the same, and they met in the middle, each going for the other one's throat. "You can forfeit, you know..." Sang said, his voice pinched by Ike's grip.

"You can too, you realize that, right?" Ike's voice did the same, just a little more funny to the others.

Soren had drawn the event, capturing Ike and Sang's fight. "You two are going to die if you don't quit it," Soren said. "Sang, Ike, just stop."

"Never!" Sang said, twisting around until they were both doing a double back bend, and staring each other down. "Who's gonna win now?"

"...I'm slipping." Ike muttered, his voice still odd.

"Oh crap..." Sang said, slipping also. They both ended up in a heap, unable to move. "I-It's...a...draw..." Sang panted.

"A-Agreed..." Ike was doing the same, looking at the damage done to his shirt. "Oh..."

"I'll get on it..." Charlene said with an enormous smile and a whirl of her staff. "Oh yes..."

"Oh no..." Ranulf said, his eyes wide and ears back. "Soren, let's go on a hike. A long one." Ranulf darted off, Soren following.

"Right behind you." He replied, looking back only once. "Sorry Ike!"

"Y-You coward...!" Ike panted, finally passing out.

"Victory...is...mine..." And Sang did the same.

Charlene chuckled, cracking her knuckles with her staff in her arms. "Let's get cracking..."

* * *

><p>~North West border of Wastes and Heron-Country~<p>

"We're almost home free~" Megan was doing some sort of half awake-tired-'I'm loopy-dance. She had been swinging Laus around until she accidentally let go and let him skid to a stop on the grass that was growing a mile out from the forests. The birds could be heard, and that put everyone in a generally good mood. Ethan was gone again, and nobody asked where he was. Not even Laus.

"Oh, I am so taking a nap when I get there..." Skid muttered, rubbing his eyes. "...Too much walking..."

Laus was once again on Nirr's back, this time he was complaining about his boots being too small and that he had blisters. When looked at, he was right...they were about the size of quarters. Since boots cost about an axe and a half at Hobb, nobody would be willing to give anything up for some poorly made, dirty, crappy boots. So, since he could live with it, Laus wore those boots.

"Too much walking indeed..." Nirr muttered, moving Laus up. "How are you faring there, kid?"

"I'm fine." Laus said, his arms around Nirr's neck. "Do you want me to move? You're gimping on one side."

"Nirr, I'll carry Laus for a while if you need me to." Urya offered. "Or I bet Dante would be willing..."

"Say what?" Dante looked over, confused as to why she had called him.

Still trudging along, Nirr smiled. "Nah, I got it. I'm fine."

"Alrighty, then." Urya sighed. "Hey, did anyone hear about the elves in the capitol? They torched another Asheruna follower."

"That's terrible." Skid muttered. "The way they do that, it's like they don't care at all."

"Just be glad we don't do that." Megan sighed, squinting at what looked like a rock she was about to trip over. She hopped over it, smiling that she didn't fall. "Otherwise, we'd be all dead, right?"

"Pretty much." Dante said. "I can't believe the crock that they feed everyone. By Sunday, they'll make another offering to their gods."

"I feel sorry for the three that die at the end of the week." Urya sighed. "The parents and family have it the worst."

They hit the Heron-Country border at midday, and with that, they were home free for a time...


	13. Chapter 13

~Later that Day

Charlene had worked wonders, bringing Ike and Sang up to one hundred percent again...but then again the soreness was a slightly different problem. Entirely. Both were stiff, wearing faces of concentration while climbing over some of the felled logs, trying to get their knees over the trunks.

"Painful. Very painful." Sang said, wincing as he went over one. Ike was doing the same, all stiff and unstretched. Charlene got a kick out of this, watching the stronger men of the group (not counting Ranulf) wince and complain about being stiff. "Let's not do this again soon, okay?"

"Agreed. Let's wait until we're conditioned or something..." Ike huffed, lifting his leg over the log that Sang had just stumbled over. "...Charlene, what did you do...?"

She shrugged, pushing up her glasses and smiling. "I just healed you up. That's all." She smiled. "I could do more..."

"NO!" Sang and Ike said, all at once.

"I mean..." Ike finally got over the log, shaking off the freaked out expression he had just a few seconds ago. "No thank you. It's not needed."

"What he said." Sang jerked a finger at Ike, still walking along. "Hey, little one. You have the map right?"

"I'm not little, Sang." Soren spat, looking back at the lupine man. "I do have the map. I'd say we're a mile or so into heron country." He muttered something about being vertically challenged, figuring back up on the map. "Since the herons are a little more on the peaceful side..."

"They know you're coming." Sang said. "Stella had it all set up. She really cares for you for some reason."

Ranulf looked away, trying to conceal some sort of redness in his cheeks. "That's cool."

"How are you guys holding up back there?" Soren made a crack at the obvious, smirking as he did so.

"...Did you not hear me a few seconds ago?" Sang said, a little annoyed and trying to get back over another log. He ended falling face first into a pile of leaves, muttering laguz obscenities.

"Go easy on the words, Sang..." Ranulf said, helping him up.

"What did he say?" Ike said, successfully going over the log that Sang just fell over.

"Things that would have made your _father _cry." Ranulf said jokingly. "Either that or pirates."

The deep forests of Heron-Country were thick with foliage, and the light was able to shine through the leaves just enough to give everything a slightly green tint. It was just like Serenes Forest, more or less different. Life seemed to pour out of some of the moss covered trees, and morning dew still fell in droplets off the tress.

"I never noticed this, but this almost like home." Ranulf looked all around, one of the familiar white birds flew overhead, churring as it landed not too far from them.

"Oh, there's Castor." Sang said with a slight grin. "I know this guy!" He ran off, suddenly regretting it as he fell face first to the Heron's feet as he shifted.

"...You haven't changed at all, Sang." He had short baby blonde hair smoothed back, and he wore an elven styled vest with a white shirt underneath. Even his boots were the same style as the elves. He looked friendly enough, even more so if it weren't for the pale icy eyes he had. His wings still fluffed themselves as he looked up to the others. "These are the refugees from Aecorlitus?"

"Yeah..." Sang got up, wincing at his sore back. "And one from my clan. Luna is really upset since the last time the pirates came in. They tore her up."

"My condolences. Come. You all must be very tired." He waved them all along, everyone followed. "Your clothes are different. Do many people from foreign continents have shredded clothing?" Castor said almost jokingly.

"Are herons here dressed like they're ready for combat?" Ranulf shot back.

"Your population is different?" Castor asked, flitting over yet another log.

"The herons we know are dainty...mostly." Ike thought about Reyson, and how he took after Tibarn. That was scary. Almost.

"Ah. I may just have to venture over some time and meet them." He chuckled. "We're not for fighting either, but there is the occasional knocking around of each other when others need it."

"Good to know." Ike nodded, the stiffness in his body was leaving. "You wouldn't happen to have a pair of clothes waiting for me, do you?"

"We weren't expecting you to come in shreds, sir." Castor sighed. "And you're so hulking, I would be surprised if you fit in anything here."

"Heh, you're hulking alright..." Charlene said, suddenly hitching a ride on Ike's back. He groaned in disagreement, eventually putting her down.

"Don't do that, Charlene." Ike muttered. A sudden small wave of nausea hit Ike, his vision shimmered ever so slightly. "Woah..." He said, shaking his head.

"Something the matter?" Castor stopped, looking at him oddly.

Wrenching pain suddenly ran through his chest, a ringing in his ears as if someone was singing an incredibly high note. "Gah!" Trying not to fall to one knee, he winced, watching the world become a little dimmer.

"Ike, what's going on?" Soren demanded, his eyes angry suddenly. "Spit it out, man!"

"You don't hear it?" Ike managed to get out before collapsing to one knee. There in the distance, there stood a red haired woman wearing a pale gown. Everything but her was blurry, fading out of existence.

_'Noli timere quid exspectat._ O_mnibus hic deos cadet.' _She said, making the ringing worsen. _'requiesce.'_

Ike toppled over in a heap, causing everyone to freak out. Little did they know something like that happened to others.

Imagine the terror that struck everyone in the branded group when Nirr suddenly fell over after a similar wrenching pain in her chest with Laus still on her shoulders. And Damion, who stood again in the Capitol Building where he was going to sign for war.

Why it happened, they did not know.

* * *

><p><em>Oh, the random. But yeah. The herons across the ocean are a little more 'Reyson' than 'Rafiel' or 'Leanne'. If you know your Fire Emblem history, you may notice that I used the name 'Lillia' for a heron queen. Does the name ring a bell? If you guessed it was the name of the heron queen who gave the fire emblem to Elena, you were right! Ding Ding! Gold star for you. But all kidding and trivia aside, I think this is coming along nicely. Any comments or criticisms? Just say something! <em>


	14. Chapter 14

_I accidentally lost my whole chapter and was almost too crushed to start the chapter again. I have learned that you use something like word first... ._._

* * *

><p>Lisa was one of the herons that were there to take care of the passed out Ike, and she declared that he was just sleeping. No more, no less.<p>

"He's just catching up on what he's been missing." Maurine was her name, and she was definitely different from the herons back home. Her hair for one was a tawny fawn color and her eyes were green, accompanied by cream-colored wings. Definitely different.

"Thanks." Soren said, nodding in her direction. They sat in the courtyard by the throne room, talking with some of the others that had arrived. The courtyard itself was just as alive as the forest, maybe more so. Different plants and flowers bloomed everywhere, all picked by Lillia.

The clan that arrived before Ike was odd, a motley crew that even looked like they would repel each other. So much diversity. The thing that fascinated Ranulf the most was the small little thief that followed the warrior Urya around. He looked just like Sothe when he was younger, but acted like Rolf. Whiny, small, and a little on the dependant and afraid of people.

"Déjà vu." Ranulf sighed, looking at the small child.

Urya had been talking about what happened to her clan with Soren, comparing the little things.

"We were just about a mile or so into the country when she toppled over and dropped Laus, and then I heard it." Urya said. "She was fast asleep and singing at the same time." She shook her head, hands in the air. "Of all things, singing."

"That's just a little odd." Ranulf was itching to poke Laus in the face or do what Ike did to Sothe when he stowed away on their boat to Gallia. He heard all about it from Ike and Lethe.

"What's even better is that it was Galdrar." She added, looking to Soren. "I'd expect it from her if she were a full blown heron, but she's only half."

"Oi!" Skid came out from the main hall to the courtyard, giving a quick smile to Urya with a book tucked under his arm. "Remember these?" He held up a well worn tome, unlike the ones that were in the capitol. "They still exist."

"What do?" Soren asked, watching him hand off the book. "Tomes?"

"Oh they're the older ones that are written in the old language. The ones in the capitol use alchemy and it's really a bother. Anyone can pick up a tome now a days and cast magic-alchemy. It's a bother." She flipped through the pages, looking at the fading text. "Oh, and look." She pulled out a bookmark, holding it up. "Someone was reading it."

"Eh." Skid shrugged. "Any word on Nirr?"

"Nope. She's just resting now. The only thing they're concerned about now is the nasty bump on her head." Urya sighed, closing up the book once again. "What about you two? You worried?"

"About Ike? Mabye. He's had worse things than stress and hardship happen..." Ranulf said, his voice softening. "Much worse things."

"Ah. So this isn't new to you?" Urya laughed.

"Not really." Soren finished.

"Okay then, what if I told you I've been piecing together past events, and I'm thinking that your friend is part of an old legend?" Urya proposed, crossing her arms across her chest. "That different enough?"

"No...but it would help if you elaborated with the term," Soren made air quotations. "'Different.'"

"Different as in it hasn't happened yet." Skid said. "Like judgement day."

Soren and Ranulf gave murmurs of disagreement, gaining odd glances from Urya and Skid. Laus just looked at them like they were nuts, beings that he had never seen a blue cat laguz before.

"Um, hate to say this, but we've seen it." Ranulf scratched the back of his head, smiling slightly.

"...You learn something new every day." Urya said with a surprised frown. "I guess it could have passed here and we didn't know about it."

"Yeah, there were a couple odd moments where we ended up being coated in snow. Remember that?"

"Yeah, yeah..." Urya recalled it, going back to what she had planned to mention. "All other things aside, there is a legend about a country that worshipped fake idols and other gods. Asheruna was displeased that these fake gods had taken form in her creation and called upon three people to take care of this. One Warrior, The bearer of the Blue Flame, and one descendant of royalty. It is said the form of the gods are in the temple in Urbum Dorem. Where the week long festival is held. They've been believed in for so long, they're like Asheruna, or whatever you have encountered..." She said. "So far we've got the princess, the he-man and we're missing the flame."

"That's kind of..." Soren trailed off.

"..Odd." Ranulf looked at Soren, looking confused. "Why have we never heard this?"

"I knew about it. I read." Soren said with a little flamboyance. "If this is all true, I'm taking command of the tactical approach."

"Okay then. If all else fails, we could rebel _then _go and take this all down. Liberate the Wastes while we're at it."

"One question..." Ranulf said quickly. "Why does Ike get caught up in everything?"

"He's just coincidentally there." Soren muttered.

* * *

><p>Well, I'm going to need to play a few rounds of Radiant Dawn to get out of writer's block, because this is getting ridiculous! But yeah. They met! Under slightly worse consequences than I wanted!<p> 


	15. Chapter 15

_Just for future reference, the elves are plotting, and that's all the further that I'll elaborate. *Dun dun dun* But yeah. I'm going to be doing the support conversations, so give me some interesting choices! But yeah. I think that over, because I have a couple ideas. _

_Keep doing what you people do best, and I'll do what I do best. :)_

* * *

><p>~A couple days later~<p>

It was an odd thing to see Soren playing chess. Just the expression he wore while propping his head on his arm, looking at the pieces like they were just little soldiers.

"You do realize that they're not going to move on their own, right?" Dante sighed, looking at him the same way Soren looked at the chess board. "You foreigners must think a lot."

"No, that's just me." Soren moved his king, having lost his queen for a good reason. "Your move."

"So your friend Ranulf doesn't think much?" Dante offered, making a move on the chessboard. "Go."

For once, Soren chuckled. "He thinks. The one person who I know doesn't think much is a warrior named Boyd. He thought, sure. But it was with his stomach."

"Ah," Dante laughed. "I suppose you don't?"

"Not really." Soren finally moved, looking at the raven. "Checkmate." He smirked.

Dante looked at the board. "I guess _I _was the one not thinking here. Good game, though. Good game."

* * *

><p>*Back in Tellius*<p>

"GACHTSCHPOO!" Boyd let out a mighty sneeze, another one following after that. "Oh, jeez. What's wrong with me?" He shook his head, realizing the sneeze seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Maybe someone's talking about you." Mist was taking care of Rhys, who was sick with a cold. Again.

"It can't be good..." Boyd rubbed his nose, looking out the window. "Oh look. There's Oscar."

* * *

><p>~Later~<p>

The afternoon light was sifting through the curtains, little light came in through the window. Hazy eyed, Nirr looked at the ceiling, her hair clinging to her neck and her forehead. Was she really sweating? Putting a shaky hand to her forehead, she felt her forehead-wet to the touch, and it smelled like sweat.

"Ugh, that's gross..." She muttered, looking around. They must have made it to Castle Heron, judging on where she was laying. Stripped down to her shorts and undershirt, Nirr felt naked of her normal clothes that she wore in the desert.

"You're awake..." Laus was sitting in the corner, looking at her with bleary sleepy eyes. He must have been watching for her to wake up, because dark circles ran around his eyes. Unlike him, Nirr felt perfectly fine.

"Yeah." She smiled warmly. Recalling the faint dreams she had, Nirr went through it all. Blue flames, golden swords, a faint outline of a being, wisps of pale fabric, and...singing? Maybe it was just her. Her throat was sore with dryness, and she looked like she needed a bath.

"You know you were singing before you woke up." Laus rubbed his eye, getting up from the chair that sat in the corner and shuffling over to the bedside and sitting down, crawling up next to her. "It sounded real nice. Like when you sing to me when I go to sleep. That one melody."

Nirr knew what he meant, bringing him closer. "That one?" She hugged him, remembering when she learned it. That was a grim day to be remembered some other time. Not now.

"Yep...Oh, and that tall guy with the cool sword woke up yesterday. He's really cool." He yawned, actually falling asleep right then and there. "...Thanks sis..."

Nirr eventually left him in her bed, making sure that he didn't wake up when she left. It could be just a little nicer if it weren't for the Northern occurring breeze that swept through the open windows, but then again, who controlled the weather? Honestly?

Clouded with random thoughts and memories, Nirr walked down the hall, looking for one person. If anyone could explain it any better, it would be her own mother. Lillia.


	16. Chapter 16

_XD oh, I think I'm gonna do some support conversations! As reviewers, you've got some good ideas! Thanks for reading! (Oh, and by the way, my sister suggested the Boyd thing. She's all about Japanese superstitions, so yeah. ^^')_

* * *

><p>When Lillia explained it all, Nirr went into a fit. Denial, yelling, anger, and even a crying fit.<p>

"I can't do that!" She paced around the study where Lillia sat, watching her child pace the room. "I can't even raise Laus well enough for him to get a good life! I'm a mutt baby, remember? Right after I turned twelve, I got kicked out to the Wastes!"

"I know that, Nirr." Lillia said softly. She and Nirr were just as similar looking as a bird and an elephant. They were totally different. "It's fine. I didn't choose the fate, but if I had to choose, I'd choose you to do it."

"You don't even know." Nirr was still pacing, wringing her hair with her hands. "I can't do anything. I'm just a little girl from the desert who doesn't know a lick of sense." She looked nervous, frayed and everything in between. "Oh no...Oh no, oh no, no."

Lillia sighed, shaking her head. "You'll be fine. It's just a prophecy. If fate has it's ways, it may change." It might have been just something that she said to make Nirr not as upset, but in her state, she took it as 'Everything will change entirely and you'll never have to do anything that involves the government, the world, or anything that has to do with the gods.'

"O-o-okay." Nirr said with an equally nervous tone. "I'll be going now..." She smiled nervously, looking at the door. "I think...I think I'm good." She left, leaving Lillia with a concerned expression.

* * *

><p>~Later<p>

"I could really use a good tussle..." Urya strolled down the hall, looking around. The busts that stood on some of the pedestals looked so tempting in the halls, just so easy to smash... "This is torture."

"You're telling me." Sang sighed, suddenly materializing. Urya jumped, laughing and holding her chest when she found out who it was.

"You're the young guy who took tied with that 'Ike' character, right?" Urya pointed, smiling ever so slightly. "I've heard about you."

"So you have?" Sang nodded, looking at her. "You like fighting?"

"Heck yes." She said quickly, eyes wild with the chance of a good fight. "And smashing. That's fun."

"Good deal...good deal..." He nodded. "You wanna do a quick fight?"

"Let's go." Urya and Sang quickly left for the woods outside the castle. "I am _so_ going to beat you."

"Says you." Sang grinned.

Charlene looked at them with tired eyes, sighing to herself. "I'm going to have to take care of them later, aren't I?"

"You can take care of me." Ethan came out of nowhere, making Charlene jump a little bit. She looked him up and down, starting her whole perverse thing.

"Maybe I want to." She tugged on his cape, making him jump closer.

"Maybe you can." He smirked.

"What do they call you?" Charlene said, pushing her glasses up with her other hand and still holding his cloak.

"Ethan Kovas." He said in a low tone.

She laughed, pushing him away, making him stumble. "You're a tease. What's on your clock?"

"Why do you need to know?" He gave a defiant smile and crossed his arms.

"I wanna know if it's me or not." She hinted, twirling her hair.

"...Nah." He shrugged after a few seconds of consideration. He walked away, leaving a very confused and slightly annoyed Charlene.

"What?" She tilted her head, looking at the leaving thunder sage.

* * *

><p>~I really need to make longer chapters, I know. But I'm at loss of what should happen next. Well, I'll update on Damion. He needs some exposure. ^^ Until next time!<p> 


	17. Chapter 17

Damion shakily woke up that morning, sweating and thrashing around. What happened? It was all so real! The burning flames, the dragons and the forest...The Heron Forest. That's what it was. With a start and one foot asleep, he pulled himself out of bed, falling on his lame foot.

"Gosh darn it..." He muttered, gimping along. His head was foggy, and upon rubbing his face, he found he had a gash on his cheek. Probably when he fell. He did remember knocking down a goblet of sorts, and maybe that was it. His room was still as dirty as it was when he left, maybe more or less. "Anyone wanna help me up here?" He called. No answer. The floors were cold on the heels of his feet, and everything was becoming clear. It was just a matter of time before he hit the stairs. That would be fun.

Damion's stomach growled and churned as he finally got to the stairs, getting down easier than he thought. '_Food. Need food._' Wandering down to the kitchen (which was also the living area of his house...), finally feeling awake for now. How long was he asleep? It felt like forever, and with that, he looked in the mirror above the wash tub that was used for washing things up. He couldn't believe his eyes at what he saw. Instead of his usual red streak down his face, he had two sets now, deep burgundy red and another small set starting at the corner of his eyes. Stiffening in terror, he also saw the pale blue marks running down his arms, and up his neck. Totally visible on his skin, and a discernable clue that he was against the government's beliefs.

Cursing to himself and backing away slowly, he almost fell again if it weren't for Callen.

"Oh, so you're up!" She smiled at him, turning him around. "Are you okay? You look like you've... Oh, it's the tearstreaks, isn't it?" She looked at him with sympathetic eyes, hugging him. "I'm sorry. I tried magic and it turned out bad..."

She didn't see the tattoos? She didn't see the tattoos! "It's fine..." Damion sighed, hugging her back. "How long was I asleep?"

"Long enough to be considered ineligible for the draft." She backed away a little, looking at him with a sad face. "I thought we were going to be together for this. I prayed to Circe so much..."

Damion frowned mentally, just going back to hugging her. "Maybe it's just not what she wanted." Oh, how he hated the fake gods. What use did they do for him...?

"I'm glad you're not one of those Asheruna prophets. They've been asking around for you and being all 'post apocalyptical.'" Callen sighed. "It's annoying."

"Yeah...I bet it is..."

* * *

><p>~Heron Forest<p>

Even though her mind was off all that was explained to her, Nirr was still running around paranoid. About what? She didn't know. If twiddling her fingers and walking down the empty halls in her pajamas wasn't odd enough, she struck up a conversation with Ike. Here's how it went...

Nirr was just minding her own business, walking around being oversuspicious, and suddenly bumped into Ike's backside, making him jump. He had gotten a new overshirt, by the way, since Sang tore his up. (accidentally. Kind of.)

"HOLY CRAP!" The expression came out a little louder than she would have liked, because the yell echoed and reverberated through the halls, making a couple of the wandering maids look in her direction. She covered her mouth with a small clap, looking up at the hulking figure she ran into. "Eh-woah." She said through her clasped hands.

"...Hi." Ike looked at her oddly, arching an eyebrow at this 'odd person' who pretty much ran into his rump. "Aren't you-"

"YOU WERE IN MY DREAM!" She yelled, pointing an accusing finger at him. "I saw things I wished I never saw about you!"

"Oh,_ that's_ awkward!" Ethan somehow strolled by suddenly, laughing to himself about Nirr's weird comment.

"NOT LIKE THAT!" She threatened to deck him in the back of the head, and was brought back to the conversation with Ike when he tried to leave. "Hey, wait!"

Ike turned around, eyes tired of this already. "Yes?"

"Sorry I yelled, but," Nirr started wringing her hair again, feeling small next to the almost monstrous swordsman. "I think..."

"Yes...?" He tried to get her to move along with he sentence to move along smoothly, but it came out as a big long chunk.

"I think I'm supposed to help you or something." She said quickly. "I really don't know what's going on, but I saw your childhood in my dream and it's not pretty." Still kind of obnoxious, she looked at him for a sign of approval.

"I wish I could see the same for yours. But, that's not my business to judge people's pasts." He said smartly, leaving Nirr.

"I botched that one up, didn't I?" Nirr looked at her feet, screaming at the cold marble floor. "...Why was he just standing around like that...?" She looked up at the wall, a huge stained glass window surrounding the center of the temple almost glowed in the morning light, illuminating the glass. Looking around, she saw all the pictures, but one stood out in general. A young girl in the glass. She had brownish red hair, ivory skin and wore an intricate dress. Nirr saw bits and pieces of the dream flash by, faces and places she never had seen. One stood out in particular. The little girl named Mist. Was that what he was concerned about? Sure she looked like the girl in the stained glass, who held a medallion close to her chest. Maybe it was Yune? There was a slight comparison to her and the small goddess of chaos. Nirr frowned and left the stained glass wall, looking elsewhere. "He'll never help me, will he?"

"Nobody said I wouldn't," Ike was there again, leaning on the wall. "I just walked off because for a reason, because you were being a crazy-scared and somewhat hyperactive teenager."

"You say that like you're older than me." Nirr said, tilting her head.

"I'm eighteen. Nineteen this winter." He said with a winning smile. "What about you? You don't look sixteen, even."

"Time slows down when you're a branded mutt." She spat. "I'm about the same age as you."

"...Micaiah all over again." He muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing. I knew a friend that was branded. She ended up being queen of Daein." Ike said quickly.

"Ah. The silver haired girl who doesn't know how to fight..." Nirr nodded, getting an expression of disagreement from Ike.

"She could fight, she just didn't have much stamina and her rection time was poor, therefore, she liked to hide behind Sothe." Ike explained. "She's good if you work with her."

"I'll have yet to see that." Nirr chortled. "What about that grouchy archer of yours? He's interesting."

"Don't get me started." Ike waved that off. "He's finicky, and he does things when _he _wants to."

"I kind of figured..." Nirr and Ike got acquainted after the spazz attack, and actually agreed on sparring sometime.

* * *

><p>~Laus and Skid<p>

"Nirr?" Laus was wandering the halls, wringing his hands, looking for his sister. "Ohh..." He was freaking out, not expecting someone to step on his scarf. He jerked back with a quick yelp, looking to see Skid behind him. "D-Don't do that!" He whined, rubbing his nose.

"Sorry kid, that's life. Surprises are everywhere." He looked at him with a quick smile. "What's going on, short stuff?"

"Y-You haven't seen Nirr around, have you? I'm worried and it's..." He trailed off, wringing his hands again. "Ohh..."

"Kid, she'll be fine. She's probably just looking around." Skid clapped him on the back, laughing at his reaction. Laus cringed, to say the least. "Oh, you're a nervous wreck, aren't you?"

"I am not." Laus whined even more.

"Real thieves don't worry. Here, I'll teach you how to not be a scaredy cat." Skid said.

"...Okay..." Laus drew out.


	18. Chapter 18

_I'm actually running out of ideas. I'm going to mindlessly attack something real quick, here. :D_

* * *

><p>"You're telling me I should do what?" Charlene laughed, looking at the squinty eyed archer that was poking her fingers together, looking down. "Look, hon. I'm not doing favors of love here."<p>

"Jeez, you make it sound like I'm trying to marry him..." Megan sighed, shaking her head. "Could you just tell him I have a crush on him?"

"It's a crush. You do it." She sighed, looking at her over her glasses. "Or you can do what I do." She suddenly snatched up a passing Ethan by the cloak and osculated*, suddenly letting go after an awkward minute. Ethan stumbled away, falling into the bushes a few steps later.

"What was that?" Megan's face was bright red, and she had her eyes open in shock.

"It was a kiss, derr." She sighed, rolling her eyes. "You gotta have tactics. Mine was 'grab and go'. It's just fine."

"That was great..." Ethan groaned from the bushes, his feet sticking out. "...Did you have a mint in your mouth? I didn't."

"It was mine..." Charlene laughed, looking back to Megan. "You just need to say something."

"Okay..." Megan walked off, a little unsure on her footing. She eventually ran into one of the pillars, stepping back and whining. She held her forehead and walked off, muttering about the things unseen.

"Hey Charlene?" Ethan called again, sitting up in the bushes.

"Yes?" She rolled her eyes flirtatiously, somehow managing a hair flip in between.

"...Never mind. Just...never mind. I have an agenda to do..." He was beet red, shuffling out of the bushes before turning to her and sticking his tongue at her. "Thanks for the mint."

"No problem, sweet pea." She smiled. "No problem at all." Urya and Sang eventually stumbled in, both contented and wearing smiles and a hoard of bruises, cuts, and nicks. "What were you two doing? Rolling in a nail pile?"

"We tussled." Sang said. "Lasted longer than we thought. "She hits hard."

"You were trying to eat my face off, there." Urya socked him in the arm, also carrying her axe in two pieces. "He broke my axe."

"...You two were rough, weren't you?" Charlene arched an eyebrow and winked, both giving faces of revolt as an answer.

"We were fighting, you perverse cleric." Urya chortled, shaking her head. "Oh, the things people think these days."

They walked off, trying to kick each other. "You won't win like you did before. I declare you my rival."

"Declaration accepted, you dog!" Urya laughed, nailing him in the shin with the but of her broken axe, making a run for it.

"Oh, those people..." Charlene sighed, going inside for the day when the rain started.

* * *

><p>~City of Laurel<p>

"My fellow citizens of Laurel and Terrasancta..." A well aged man stood in front of a whole parlament of people, most being beorec and elven, they all were dressed in their best. "We are one hundred per-cent sure that the Heron Land is plotting a rebellion against our land." He paused for a minute, looking at his delegates. "Does anyone disagree with me?"

One man raised his hand, a middle aged and odd looking one he was. He had a full head of black hair, a thick mustache that covered his lip and an eyepatch over his eye, which hid either a scar or some sort of cursed eye. No-one lived to tell.

"I only have one question, Governor Stark. How will we attack them if they are plotting?" He offered, leaning back in his chair. "The Hawks will surely attack us if we say that we did it. Are we going to lie an says that the mutts in the Wastes did it, or what? Enlighten us."

There was a round of mumbles and nods, making the Governor grow red. "We'll blame the Dragons. They have fire, right? We'll torch those birds until well done."

"And what if they know we did it?" The mustached man said, a twinkle came to his eye. "You don't know, do you? Here's what we do. We use some of the newer tomes my district has been manufacturing. Alchemy, is really what it is. There's no more magic in it than there is feathers on dragons. We'll set the forest ablaze, and wait for everyone to react. The Dragons will be put on the defensive, and the Hawks and Cats of Loremterra. It's fool proof." He looked around, seeing the faces around him. "Anyone who disagrees with me can leave. We want unity with _all _of the countries. We can't have one group just waiting to erupt and spoil us all with their lies. The phony Asheruna will fall this Sunday, on their supposed sabbath."

One of the men arose, clapping, followed by another, and another, and eventually the whole room. He looked back at Governor Stark, who looked at him like he was some sort of ingenious monster. "Who are you, young man?"

"I'm Charles Baccus. At your service." He bowed, looking at him smugly, his sword clanking at his side. "You're free to call me when you need tactical services, Governor.

"I think I will." Governor Stark smiled, knowing full well his plans would work.

* * *

><p>~A day or so later<p>

"How long has Lillia been around?" Ike was doing sit ups for some reason, in competition with Urya and Sang. He reached his elbows to his knees, counting at least thirty now. Sang was right behind him, and Urya was doing them just for fun it seemed.

"Oh, around ninety years. She's aged quite nicely, don't you think?" Urya smiled, getting up without any effort. "Not a day over thirty."

"Makes you think, doesn't it?" Sang whistled, his feet under the same running board as everyone else, trying not to yank it up. "Hey, I'm at thirty five..."

"Thirty six." Ike said, looking over at him. "I could do many more. What about you Urya?"

"I lost count after forty..." She frowned, looking at them. They looked a little befuddled, looking at each other before starting again. "What? Can't a woman be brawny?"

"...If you lose track, start over again, or until your body hurts." Sang suggested. "Or keep going even though it hurts."

"Sounds good to me." She replied happily. "What about you? Sang, how old are you? You could pass for a teenager."

"Twenty." Sang said, looking confusedly at the wall. "I lost track."

"Forty five." Ike hinted. "I'm usually one ahead of you. "Forty seven..."

"Not for long." Sang started doing them double time, making Urya laugh.

"You're competing with me, too, wolf man." She said. Her purple hair was tied up, meaning business.

Why they were sit ups, nobody knew. When the pull-ups came, all Hades broke loose, making things laughable. For starters, the branch Sang was using fell under his weight after they went outside to work. Urya was competing with Ike, giving each other sweaty glares as they each did a pull-up.

"Give up." Ike tried to say, it ended up being a laugh.

"Never. Will. I." She did the same, a cock-eyed grin made its way across her face.

"You guys, you look like your arms are going to fall off if you don't quit." Sang said. "I'd be competing still if I didn't fall off and sprain my foot."

"Walk it off, you Mary Sue." Urya said with a groan.

"What she said." Ike pulled up agin, almost keeling over. Urya was in the same state, eyes bulging and sweat poured off her forehead. "Great Scott..."

"Oh my Holy Boots..." They both dropped, laying on the ground.

"Who won?" Sang asked, his tail flopping.

"...Were you keeping count?" Ike asked, looking at the warrior.

"No, I didn't. I thought you did." Urya sighed, letting out a breath of air. "Oh crap..."

"I call rematch when our arms don't hurt." Ike said, getting up and helping Urya up. Both groaned as Ike pulled Urya up, and each slunk away in defeat.

"That was fun." Sang smiled, tilting his head with his legs crossed Indian style. "...They tied at forty."

* * *

><p>*osculated- Verb. [ trans. ]<p>

**1 **Mathematics (of a curve or surface) touch (another curve or surface) so as to have a common tangent at the point of contact : [as adj. ] (** osculating**)_ the plots have been drawn using osculating orbital elements._

**2 **formal or humorous kiss.

Just so you know. It's kinda funny. I didn't wanna say 'kiss' out in the open, so I looked up in my mac-saurus for a synonym. You learn something new every day. *Breaks away from writer's block* Yay!


	19. Chapter 19

_Note to readers: Oh my gosh, thanks. You people give me good reviews so I keep going, and some of them make me laugh. And, since someone said it, I think Urya could take on Ashnard if it weren't for the stupid armor he wears. D: Hated it. Either way, Son'nani arigatō! (Means thanks so much!)_

* * *

><p>Everything had slowed down to a visible halt, even Damion could see that. With tactics proposed on that Tuesday, the armies were camping out in the houses of some of the civilians, and others were cheering for war. Everyone had named it the 'War of the Gods' because of the religious wars going on with the rebels of the Wastes coming out and the Herons. Even though they couldn't fight, they got some of the Elven population on their side, and well...they seriously could fight. Laurel was coming under the influence of the new appointed general, some of the out of shape soldiers were going through training if they weren't fit for the jobs they were signed for. Promotions were coming like floods in the spring, and whoever was the enemy...they were sure to get pummeled.<p>

"Oh man..." Damion looked outside his window, seeing the running soldiers in the streets, training even harder. "We're screwed."

"Why's that?" Callen came up behind him, almost making him fall out the window. She was wearing her mage outfit, her tome in the pack on her belt.

"Oh, no reason. I was thinking like I was on the other side...you know. Being the enemy." He said nervously. Callen warmly smiled, hugging him unexpectedly.

"...I'm gonna miss you when I go off..." She said into his chest. Damion could only look off into the distance with an awkward expression and his arms slightly outstretched. "Promise me you won't love any other woman, okay?"

"I won't." Damion said, knowing what she would probably do if he did cheat or something. "Oh, I won't."

* * *

><p>~Heron-Country<p>

"I have to do more push-ups?" Laus lay on the ground, looking up at Skid, his hair blending in with the grass.

"You did them like a girl." Skid crossed his arms, looking at him expectantly. "If you do at least fifteen more, I'll give you a break."

"YES." Laus went back to work, while Nirr looked at the situation oddly.

"I'm going to kick Skid's butt if I see him being like that grouchy archer Ike knows..." Nirr sighed, looking at the trees. The fall was fast approaching, the trees were just starting to taste the frost on their leaves. "He's gotten kind of attached, hunh..."

"I'd say so. In a couple days the kid's changed." Charlene came out of nowhere, leaning on one of the walls. "You're lucky to have a kid like that. He's a cute little booger."

"Oh, that's funny. You think I'm a mom..." Nirr laughed. "You think I'm a mom...What?"

"You can see it in your face, hon." She pointed at invisible wrinkles on her face. "Right in here, and on your forehead. You scowl a lot."

"I do not." Nirr scowled, looking at the cleric.

"There they are." Charlene guffawed, shaking her head. "Time has treated _me _nicer than you. I've had a couple children when I was eighteen when I married and I looked nicer than you now...Then the flu wiped my husband off the Earth, and then my children were killed by the doctors in the Capitol...I don't resent them any, but..." Charlene looked faraway, her age coming to her. She shook her head, becoming herself again. "Life happens, hon. Wrinkles come but never go." She smiled, walking off.

"That was odd." Nirr said, being greeted by a slightly tired Laus.

"Hey hey hey! Guess what!" Laus said. "Skid's gonna teach me how to pick pockets!"

"You didn't know already?" Nirr asked quizzically, her face in a confused smile for his sake. "What are you, a thief or a mouse?"

He frowned, suddenly pulling out Nirr's pocket lint. "I think I'm a thief."

"You stole my pocket lint?" She laughed, ruffling his hair. "Oh, it's going to be fun to see what you can get." She gave a thumbs up to Skid, who nodded in appreciation as they started mock fighting. Laus was really taking to this, a little more than a kid usually would. Maybe because it made him seem tough. Skid must like children.

"Hey, Nirr," Dante came around, looking kind of distressed.

"Yeah, what's wrong? You look like you haven't eaten in days." Nirr said.

"I haven't..." Dante hung his head, folding his hands. "Could you please go fishing for me. I can't fish worth a crap, and they don't eat meat here. It's driving me nuts."

Nirr pondered it, looking at the ceiling. She couldn't think of any good penalty, and it wasn't that hard to hunt. "You have to do dishes here for a week if I do this for you. Then you're home free."

"Thank you so much!" Dante said almost to the point where everyone could hear it. "I swear, I'll make the dishes like diamonds." He fluttered off, clicking his heels in midair.

"...I'll have to go out, then." Nirr muttered, looking around for things that would be good as fishing supplies. "...I wonder if I could get some string around here...get a net or something..."

Hunting wasn't her thing, but if it came to trapping your supper or dying of someone eating your spleen, it was trapping and hunting time. The more she thought about it, they had all been eating veagan for the past days, meaning nobody had eaten any red meat. Sang looked pretty thin, Urya was running on reserve will power, and Ike...She didn't know, but he looked like a meat and potatoes man. Most definitely. All the way. She eventually found enough twine to make a crappy net that did the job, and enough snare material to make at least three resettable snares. Lillia would find it kind of offensive, but nobody said it was illegal to hunt. Every once in a while, she'd see the elves within the country swipe a rabbit or a couple squirrels around, making stew. Nobody could substitute beef and chicken all the way, but there was wild pigs and turkey, too.

Within a few hours, she had tied up at least two migrating (almost out of season) salmon and a catfish. One rabbit stuck up one of the snares, and a squirrel had been caught. She reset the traps before she left, smiling to herself. "Oh, how this will work."

The greenery around her was yellowing, and the smell of leaves was finally in the air. A buck almost scared her silly as it was running out in front of her. Sang would have gone nuts. Which brought up the question...How did Laus feel about Sang? She could see the urge on his face to throw a stick or something when he did his daily walk around the area in wolf form. That was an odd question, and she would probably find out soon when she asked him about his day. Charlene's conversation bothered her, making her tuck the animals under her arm. Did she really have scowling wrinkles? Making the face as she walked along, she felt her face, feeling one large wrinkle over her forehead, shifting back into the mysterious place it hid when she relaxed. "She's just toying with me." She said to herself. "It's just a joke." She smiled, feeling the wrinkle come back. "Crap..."

* * *

><p><em>Oh, and there may be some tsundere with Nirr coming up. I don't know. It may be a false alert. (^_^) KTHX!<em>


	20. Chapter 20

_A few quick updates to some questions there may be:_

_One: There will be some sort of class changes, so there's one there. _

_Two: I accidentally put Soren on Hiatus, and I didn't know. I totally forgot about him *_* Oops_

_Okay then! Still don't own Fire Emblem!_

* * *

><p>~That Saturday<p>

"This is new." Sang muttered, standing in a line with most the other people. With his arms crossed and ears folded down, he almost looked angry. The reason? It was six in the morning and he wanted to sleep in. Soren had insisted that they got up early and such. Nirr stood dazedly by Charlene, who was leaning on an annoyed looking Dante.

"Could you please not lean on me?" Dante shoved her off, making her lean back on Nirr.

"Too early..." Nirr muttered, looking around, seeing Ike and Ranulf just fine. "How do you do this?"

Ranulf shrugged, looking at her. "I don't know. It's just...You know, I don't know."

"I hate you for being a morning person." Nirr muttered.

"...Moving on." Soren said. "Okay, so are you all able to fight? Ike, Ranulf, don't say anything. I know you can fight."

"Oh! I can steal things!" Laus happily said, wincing when he lifted his arm. "And I'm sore from push ups."

"Okay then..." Soren arched an eyebrow, moving onward. "Charlene?"

"Yes?" She had fallen asleep on Nirr, who was just getting out of the sleepy state. "Oh, right...I'm probably able to change classes...soon."

"That's a good start." He jotted it down, looking to Ethan. "...And what about you?"

"Whaddya wanna know?" He crossed his arms, looking at the Sage.

"What class are you?" Soren said with a little bit of anger. "I'd guess mage, but you're so elusive, so it's hard to know."

"Mage. With different plans so don't count on me being here too much..." He picked at his nails almost as if he didn't care.

Soren's eyebrow twitched, and he moved on with a sour attitude. " Skidalphus..."

"It's Skid." The thief corrected, a little on the irked side.

"...Okay then, _Skid._" He said. "You're able to be promoted right about now, right?"

"Sure." He said. "It would be an experience."

The morning went on like that, just making checks and such. Charlene had fallen asleep twice after that, making Soren not the happiest camper in the world. Otherwise, it would have been a day of mass promotions.

* * *

><p>~That Afternoon<p>

Quiet was the world, looking around and hearing nothing. The wind didn't even blow, the birds didn't sing, and everything was silent. Megan was looking around from one of the trees, reporting back to Soren.

"It's totally clear. There's nothing out there." She called, squinting back down at the concerned archsage. He had promoted himself, just for his own personal status. Among the promotions were Skid, Megan and Charlene, because Nirr refused to promote, even though she was slightly overdue. "There isn't even a raven flying out there."

"Blast...it's too quiet." He muttered to himself. "Keep looking. I'll have Dante check later." He walked off, looking around. The skies were grey, clouds had rolled in later that day, making it darker than usual. If anyone was flying, it would be perfect for stealth.

"You look worked up there, lad." Charlene said, passing him by. She wore different clothes, all the same colors, though. Her tunic was still the grey color, but she wore a hooded lilac colored robe and she carried around her usual stave.

"I'm thinking there's something coming. I don't know what, but I know there's..."

It suddenly smelled of smoke in the air, a few orange embers came through the air.

"There's a fire! It's on the edge of the forest!" Megan yelled, waving her arms.

"I knew it!" Soren ran past Charlene, running to a higher point to see what was going on. He ended up at the second story balcony, above the trees. There he saw it. Orange flames were quickly burning through the forests, a flash of destruction. "Those aren't normal flames..." He shook his head, remembering the odd tomes. They weren't magic. He cursed under his breath, running back around. Everyone was in a frenzy trying to asses what was going on. Soren was formulating a plan as they sputtered and ran around. "Go get Queen Lillia. She's one of our priorities." He barked at one of the servants. Nirr was running around, trying to find Laus. "Nirr, what are you doing?"

"The forest's on fire, and I can't find my little brother. What do you think I'm doing?" She yelled, throwing her arms up.

"Better idea, you get some sort of carriage around and I'll find Laus and send him to the stables. I don't think we can stop the inferno."

The smell of the flames was coming closer, the pungent and choking smell of the smoke clouded the air. How did they get to them so quickly?

They rounded everyone up, but most were trying to extinguish the flames. But when in contact with water, it seemed to just sputter and steam and then move on. Lilla was one of the many who were not going to move. She wouldn't budge.

"Lillia, come on. You have to move, your majesty." Castor was trying to get her to move, but she sat still in her chair.

"I'm not leaving, Castor." She sighed. "I told myself I'd never leave my kingdom. And today is no different from any other day."

"What are you saying?" The orange embers were drifting through the open windows.

"I'm saying I'm not leaving, you fool." She said. "Now go with the refugees. Be some sort of help to them." She shooed him away, looking to the window. "I think I'm ready to meet my maker anyway." She said softly as Castor left.

* * *

><p><em>I don't know how to write action-y fire-y things like this. I'll improve, but this seemed too...quick. I know... criticism widely appreciated. ^^' Wow, 37 reviews as of 10 this morning. Yay!<em>


	21. Chapter 21

_Okay, so the map thing...Think about it like Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, and Poland. Flip it so Russia (Well, the part of Russia that's not tundra) is on the West. Aecorlitus is Ukraine, Russia is the Wastes, Belarus is the Heron-Country, Poland is Terradraco, Lithuania is Loremterra. That's what I'm thinking right about now. Just for clearing up things! :D_

* * *

><p>The air smelled of smoke even though they were outside of the country. Back into Aecorlitus on the southern area, where the wolves had given them refuge. They were the Imakoo Clan, which Soren said was heron for Wolf.<p>

"That's original." He muttered. He didn't care for being back in with the wolves, but then again, everyone was kind of out of it. Nirr especially. She had lost her mother, even though she didn't quite have the best relationship with her. She just stared at the ground, her eyes wider than usual.

Quiet was the norm, and nobody spoke. Even Ethan wasn't up for going out alone. Life itself had come to a complete and utter stop.

"You know, this is basically a declaration of war." Skid pointed out. He was still deciding on his promotion, toying around with the idea. "Whoever sparked this, they wanted something out of someone."

"This is like what almost happened before..." Ike muttered.

"Right...Serenes Forest." Soren said. They would all be staying in one of the dens, which was an actual cabin, thanks to ideas from the Elves. They were furninshed with a few bunk beds, but someone would have to move into the cabin next door or sleep on the floor. But, even for wolves, the dens were huge and big enough to house at least three lions. With foot-space. The oil lamps flickered, the orangey yellow light flooded the area. Charlene was kind of in a state of 'I'll just cling to you' with Ethan, who just sat there and took it.

"Where's Castor?" Ranulf asked, kind of appearing out of nowhere in the dim light.

"He's making agreements with Loki. He's the head honcho." Urya said. "He's explaining all that happened to her and everything... Nirr's with him, since she is the heir to the country."

"Say what?" There was a round of chatter from everyone, Laus was confused.

"Why would she get Heron Country?" Laus asked, looking at Urya oddly.

"She's Lillia's child. She didn't tell you?" She asked.

"She just told me that her mom was different and left it as that." He said.

"Well, you've been in the dark, I believe." Soren sighed.

* * *

><p>~Nirr<p>

"You mean to say that Lillia died?" Loki was a taller more muscular laguz, his grey and white streaked hair was shaggy, ending at his shoulders. Of course, he was shirtless, adding to Nirr's dismay. He wore baggy trousers with a bet or two. Tattoos wound their way up his arms, a little obscured as he crossed his arms. "...My goddess..." He put a hand on his forehead, looking at Nirr. "...Devan will hear about this...he's going to be royally..."

The cabin was warm, and the stone fireplace radiated heat. Little trinkets set on the hearth, a couple things of interest. One of the lamps hung from the ceiling, and it was all so rustic in there.

"Please, Loki. Stay with me here." Castor said, his wings fluttering impatiently. "I care just as much as you, but we've got things here that are going on behind this. We've got a war coming, a religious riot, and there's a prophecy that involves that blue haired man, Nirr and someone else."

"...Is it the False Gods Prophecy?" Loki looked at Castor like he was an idiot. "Seriously. I don't think so."

"Why not? You saw it the first time around. It happened like this the first time." Castor said, crossing his arms and tapping his foot. "As I remember, I was sitting with you in the Gallahan Prison because we were opposing their religion."

"Good times...Good times." Loki muttered. "Even so, you don't_ really_ know that it will _happen_."

"If it doesn't, we'd still have the issue of who will be ruler over Heron-Country." Castor argued. "Gregorio died not long ago, and Louise is out of the picture. Her only heir is Nirr, and we'd have so much to go over..."

"I don't want to do it." Nirr said, looking out the window. Darkness had fallen after the long ride from the castle, and she smelled of smoke. "I can't. I have no clue how to run a country, and I'm not qualified."

"What?" Castor looked annoyed and confused. "How? I...Oh, Nirr. You're funny."

"I'm serious." Nirr spat. I've been living in the desert with my little brother for years, and I've never set foot on Heron Country until our well dried up and Urya decided that it was fine to move there. I was born in Aecorlitus, and took the long way around through this territory to get to the Wastes. I'm not ruling a country that I haven't had much to do with, Castor." She turned on her heel and left the cabin. Castor just sat there with his mouth open and Loki smiled to himself.

"...Lillia did the same thing. Swore up and down that she wouldn't rule a kingdom." Loki sighed.

"Someone's bound to have déjà vu over this..." Castor rubbed his temples, looking out the window at the faint shadow of Nirr walking in the full moon.

"Well, we all know where humanity is going." Loki muttered.

* * *

><p>"I'm so screwed here..." Nirr was muttering to herself in the dim light that the moon provided, making it hard to see anyway. The dim light from the cabins in the camp were the only thing helping her from hitting a tree or something. "Gah!" She kicked a dimly lit rock down the dusty lane. "I'm just—"<p>

"Throwing rocks?"

Nirr spun around, looking at a dimly lit Ike. "Oh, it's just you." She muttered. "Why are you out here?"

"Eh, I have a habit of wandering." Ike sighed. "It clears my mind."

"I'd _love_ to clear out my mind." Nirr said. "Cause you wanna know what they're telling me?" She laughed sarcastically. "They're telling me I have to take over Heron Country after all this." She grinned. "I can't do that. I just can't. I'm not cut out for that."

"Why am I thinking this is familiar?" Ike asked himself, making a gesture of thinking. "Oh wait. I gave a speech to Elincia like this." He said. "You're fine. You'll be just fine. You've helped your group stabilize for these few years."

"Yeah, cause Urya has it all set up." Nirr argued.

"But you've had a say in it. You're running your own little kingdom." Ike said. "Even if it gets all cleared up and you don't have to, you'd be able to run a kingdom."

"Oh, really. Really." She smiled, shaking her head. "Are you _nuts?_" Nirr laughed. "I'm afraid, mister hero motivator, you're a little on the crazy side. Now, good-_night._" She trotted off, leaving Ike in the middle of the path.

"...She's really upset about this, isn't she?" Ike sighed.

* * *

><p><em>Well, derr! Who here wouldn't be upset if they had to run a country? Well yeah. I would have updated earlier today, but life is a crazy person. You never know. ^^ <em>


	22. Chapter 22

_I've been plotting...and in this plot, there's a plot bunny...named Bob . Or just Bob. ^^ Maybe some action today._

* * *

><p>~Next morning<p>

Nirr had been laying on her side all night, staring at the wall. Thinking, plotting, trying to get her mind off the imminent queen-hood. With a shiver, she curled up in a tight wad, trying to look asleep. It must have fooled some, a pair of small feet skittered across the floor, shushing everyone when they left. Urya's heavy boots thunked on the ground, she could hear the swishing of Ranulf's tail, and the sounds of Sang outside. Skid must have been piggybacking with Urya, because Nirr heard him as he got out of the cabin.

Soren had left early in the morning, Sang was the same way. Ethan was gone the night before, and Charlene was also up with the sun, to go run, she thought. Dante (oddly) had a certain tree that he hung out in, and Megan said that she just needed to get a couple thick blankets and she could sleep outside. That only left...Ike. The one person who told her that she'd be fine, she'd be a _wonderful_ queen. What a bunch of bull. He shuffled a little bit, groaning softly. There was an odd silence, and a sigh from Ike.

"I know you're awake." He said.

Nirr remained quiet, the dark circles under her eyes grew as she sat there. Staying still, she listened as he shuffled and go up, stepping over to the top bunk of the bed where Nirr lay. "...So I am. What about it?" Nirr surrendered, not daring to roll over.

"Oh, nothing." He said whimsically. He leaned on the bed, making it shift and move. Nirr stirred, curling up tighter. "You're just probably a little short on energy because you stayed up all night."

'_How does he know? Did he...?'_ She asked herself. '_No way did he stay up all night and watch me...' _

"Well, sure. I'm a little frazzled." Nirr lied. '_A little?' "_Could you just leave me alone? I need to think."

"Overnight wasn't enough?" Ike asked, still there.

"Nope. I've got _countries _to think about. I don't think overnight is enough do decide if I wanna take on a bunch of land." Nirr said with a scowl. "I don't really think you could help me, either."

"I've dealt with this before. Remember that green haired woman who I talked to?" He said.

"Yeah. With the tacky orange dress." She said, remembering it through his eyes. "Go on."

"She was the same way. She didn't want to take care of where I was from, Crimea, and it ended up that she was good after all." Ike said.

"...But I'm not her. I'm not some sort of Crimean beauty who has the respect of the world for being a merciful queen." Nirr said. "I don't ride my pegasus around and hurl a sword around, I can't tell armies what to do, I don't like you like she does..."

"Come again?" Ike asked, a little confused.

"You didn't see it? That Elincia woman likes you. I could see it. You couldn't?" I said. I really could see that she cared for him. From the subtle 'Be careful' to the obvious extreme blush fits she had every once in a while. The Geoffrey character was pretty inclined to get on her good side, but she liked Ike. "It's obvious."

There was an awkward silence before he said anything, and it came out as a short and dry 'Heh, you're right.'

Ike stepped out finally, leaving Nirr alone in the room. She lie there, just thinking. What did she just do? Was he offended?

"Oh goddess...what _did _I do?" She asked. There was no reply, meaning that there wasn't anyone there. She kind of lied to herself there, saying that she didn't care for him. Sure he was kind of charming...in a Herculean kind of way. She eventually fell asleep, wasting the day away while others were doing other things.

* * *

><p>~Ranulf<p>

Well, the sun was out. That was good. The air still smelled of smoke, reminding everyone of the past events. The skies were clear, and it was getting colder. Fall was coming. And fast. Charlene was helping people out, since they didn't have an adequate healer, she found her niche rather easily. Ethan kind of limped in, making Charlene hit him when she found out he was faking.

"That's not creepy at all." Ranulf muttered.

"I could say the same thing." A familiar voice giggled. Ranulf spun around, seeing no other than Stella.

"Holy-!" Ranulf jumped, quickly making up for the surprise in his voice. "Holy Ashera, you're here." He smiled. "What a surprise."

"When I heard that the forest burnt down, I was worried about you guys." She said truthfully. "You foregners really like to get yourselves in trouble."

"Yeah. Yeah we do." Ranulf said. The camp was really bustling now, everyone doing something. "How's the sister doing?"

"Oh, she's a wreck. Corrin is trying to get her to come out, and it's not working well." She sighed. "And what of you? How are you faring?"

"Good...Escaped a fire and such. I'm good." Ranulf said. "Tell me, am I the only one who's anticipating a war?"

"Nope. The wolves are also getting geared up. We're stocking up on Olivi Grass and everything." Stella said. "It's going to be bad."

"Agreed."

* * *

><p>~Laus<p>

"You're trying to tell me...climbing a tree will help me get faster?" Laus looked up the tall tree, the pine needles almost looked like knives. They were still green dispite the fact that the other leaves on the trees were turning yellow and orange.

"Yeah. It'll help when you want to get a good shot at a dragon, too." Skid said. He smiled, raising his hand as an oath of truth. "True Story."

"...You're a horrible teacher." Laus started to scamper up the tree, and that's when Skid started throwing daggers. "What are you doing?"

"Gain some momentum!" Skid coached. "You'll miss your dragon shot!" Laus hurried up, ignoring the lodged knives. "...And bring those down for me. I need those back." He finally had promoted, getting up to assassin. He kind of liked it, because he got to wear a freakishly awesome cloak.

"...Am I high enough?" Laus asked, getting close to the top.

"...Sure." Skid squinted. "Now, get back down here! You're missing a bunch of pick pocketing chances."

* * *

><p><em>I have a feeling this chapter fails at life. Ranulf likes girls who aren't the same 'breed' (?) as him, Skid is developing the Shinion complex and Ike doesn't get women. Meh. There's gonna be another chapter today. :D<em>


	23. Chapter 23

_Well, here's a chapter today! Btw, I'm not a IkexElincia fan either, but they do look _kinda _cute. Kinda. I'm more so IkexMia or something like that._

* * *

><p>The dream seemed so real, especially the part about falling out of bed. Well, that was real, actually. Falling off the top bunk of a bed wasn't fun. Nirr held her head on the ground, whining as she woke up. The cabin was dark again, the only light filtering in was from the fires that were outside. It was a nightly thing to have a couple bonfires here, and it made for good story telling. Kind of.<p>

Nirr pulled her blanket around her, dazedly heading outside to one of the fires.

"Hey! You're up!" Urya said, coincidentally walking past. "Slept all day?"

"Yeap." Nirr yawned. "...I'm starving." She rubbed her eyes, following Urya. "What are we doing today?"

"Oh, it's just supper. Ranulf went hunting with Stella." Urya said, getting over to the fire and taking a seat on one of the stumps. Nirr Heat could be felt from five feet away, and it was heavenly.

"Nirr!" Laus almost tackled her, knocking her over. "I thought you kind of died there for a day..." He said. Skid followed, just getting done with some late training. Everything was dyed some sort of orange, making everyone seem a little warmer despite what had happened. Her mind dabbled back to the dream, recounting everything that happened. It was almost like someone was etching frost onto her mind, making things seem a little farther away.

Bits of things, glass walls, a huge great sword, some sort of form clouded by darkness. Farther down in memory, she could remember seeing broken bodies, but no faces. It was odd, seeing things without sound. The one face she remembered was Laus', and he was sitting in a hunched ball wringing his hands, muttering things silently.

A voice was trying to bring her back, and then she suddenly snapped to it.

"Nirr." Laus said, golden eyes wide in concern. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Just fine." She lied. "Just...I've got a head cold I think."

"That's too bad." Skid said. "We were going to head out and play ghost in the graveyard with some of the others." Skid said. "You know, take some time to kind of relax."

"...Oh." Her mind flashed back to the dream, seeing a quick flash of him slamming into the wall and coughing up blood. "Sorry I can't join."

"No, it's fine." Urya smiled. Another vision, another face. "I think Ethan would be the best at it, though."

"No kidding." Charlene said, holding a stick to one of the fires. Her face showed up in her mind, too. "He's unseen in the light, so yeah."

"Come on, I'm wearing mostly black. Why wouldn't I be hard to find." Dante piped up.

"Dude, you hide in trees. We can't find you either way." Skid said. "You and Megan, there."

Megan turned red, scooting away from Dante for some reason. Nirr had heard that she told him about her affections, and he just smiled and patted her head, walking off oddly...like he was skipping.

"Can't find me, either." Sang said.

"You wanna bet?" Urya said with some rivalry.

"I'm not participating." Soren announced. "That's childish."

More faces.

Screams echoed inside her head now, crying, pleading...it kept getting louder and louder, until she couldn't hear. Blotting out her previous thoughts, it was all madness in her mind until a firm hand cupped her shoulder.

"Nirr." Urya said, looking at her concernedly. "You're making such weird faces, are you okay?"

"I need some air." Nirr got up, leaving the blanket behind. Even though she was still in her shorts and the fawn colored shirt she usually had, she started running. Past everyone, into the trees and through the brush. Trees started raking her legs and bare arms, sometimes batting at her face. The forest was dark, ominous and almost scary, if it weren't for the drive for some sort of peace that kept her going.

Slowing to a halt, she doubled over, her hands on her knees, just breathing. "Oh...Stop it." Nirr told herself. "Stop, stop, stop."

"Okay then..." Ike suddenly was there, a little confused. Nirr looked up, and there he was. "You look like..."

"What?" Nirr said annoyedly.

"...Poop." He said quickly. "You had a fight with a tree?"

"Many." She muttered, seeing the scratches in the pale light. "Gah..."

"So, have you decided?" Ike asked, taking a couple steps towards her.

"Decided what?" She asked, then remembered the conversation. "That..."

"Well?" Ike asked, looking at her like he was getting ready to pull her soul out with his eyes.

"I'm still not doing it." She said sarcastically. "I'm not qualified! Just leave it alone, okay? It's none of your business!"

"It kind of is, really. Your country is on the brink of war, and last I heard, the hawks are getting riled up. Yes, I listen to the rumors, but when a mammoth sized bird almost clips your head off, it's kind of nerve wracking." Ike said sternly, hinting that the event of him almost having his head taken off almost happened today. "You need to get something straight. Your mother died not long ago because someone burnt down her forest. Doesn't that compel you to do anything?"

Nirr looked at him, shaking her head. "No. I've lived elsewhere. I didn't associate with her much."

"That's wrong. Did your emotion die or did you just hide it away for the sake of your family?" Ike said. "Being tough is one thing, but being some sort of emotionless monster is another. Not caring about your family's death is terrible." He slunk away, looking back at her just once. "Feel something."

Nirr just laughed at him, a loud and snide chortle that echoed. "Oh, he preaches about emotion now! Queen motivator and a preacher! What else are you? A God? A Sorcerer? Oh, I can't wait to see what else! Oh, man of so many faces!" She kept laughing, thinking to herself. A sister. A keeper. A princess. A part of a prophecy. A liar. Part-time thief. Criminal. Cheater.

She had more faces than Ike.

* * *

><p><em>Oh, how I think of things through the day. :D By the way, her visions were supposedly the future. Things are bothering her now because the day of Judgement is upon them! It's a little different from the Judgement Day in Tellius, I tell you. Different. No Zelgius this time. D: I actually liked Zelgius. :\<em>


	24. Chapter 24

_I happened to type a whole epic chapter, again. And again, I lost the whole chapter... and was too crushed to start again. For a few seconds. ^^'_

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><p>The sudden clash of metal against metal woke everyone up, the snarling of wolves was the first indicator of war. Everyone was up and out in a blur. Soren didn't even have time to devise a quick plan, and that was new for him.<p>

"Here's the plan!" Soren yelled, flipping open his tome. "Don't die!" He went off, being covered by Megan in the trees.

Dante was already making his rounds, merciless in the skies. Megan was firing away, almost unseen in the trees, and Sang was doing what he did best. He and Stella were making quite the duo, double teaming enemies like they did i their whole lives.

"Where's the boss?" Nirr yelled over the raging wolves, some of them getting too close for comfort. She looked around, seeing only people in the encampment. She cursed, seeing a devine opportunity in the form of a stray pegasus. "Here we go." She whisltled for the flying horse, it came like a puppy, whinnying happily. Ike caught glance at this and frowned.

"What are you doing?" He yelled, punching a soldier in the helmet hard enough to make him pass out. Nirr was clambering onto the pegasus, pulling the reigns tight and making the winged horse buck.

"I'm a queen! We ride pegesi and take out enemies!" Nirr yelled back. "Cover me!" She whistled to Dante, who cawed in response. Ike was confused, then he realized. She just took up her queen status. Was she plotting this? Oh yes. Get in a fight, get injured, take out the boss and declare your undying hate for the enemy and avenge. She was going to pull the hero bit. She was going to pull the infamous hero bit. She'd _die! _ There were snipers up ahead where she was going!

"Ranulf! Get to the boss and take him out before Nirr does! She's going suicidal!" Ike yelled at the blue colored cat who was fighting.

"What?" Ranulf said confusedly, seeing the flying horse. "She is!" But, it was almost too late.

In the back of her mind, she had it all figured out. Holding her sword tight and getting to her knees on the saddle, still holding the reigns to keep the horse going. "Go, go, go..." She muttered, seeing the Berserker commander. He was taking on Loki, an he wasn't doing so well. "Hold on Loki..." She said, rising to her feet. She was about ten feet above him, and then it all happened so slowly. She jumped of the pegasus, holding tighter to her sword and poising herself to where she could get the right angle...then it all sped up. She decapitated the berserker, sending the hiding snipers into a flurry. Hundreds of arrows seemed to fly out of nowhere, sending five into her legs, two in her side and at least three in her shoulders.

Yelling as she swung around, hitting a couple stray soldiers, she kept them back, Loki was laying down, trying not to hurt himself even more. Blood stained the ground, he panted in deep heavy strides. "Stay Back!" She yelled, looking at them all, making the whole unit hush. "I Queen Nirvana, new Queen of Heron-Country, will avenge the deaths of my country." She yelled. "I'm not going to let your leader start a war. Anyone who apposes me dies." She took a step forward, another arrow hit her arm, blood spattered her face from her own wound.

"You're only killing yourself, you stupid girl." Someone said. "You can't be a queen!"

"You're wrong." She thought to herself. 'Why the sudden change of heart, Nirr?' She laughed, looking at all the blood loss. "I'm supposed to be, aren't I?" She blitzkrieged the man opposing her, ignoring the other shots fired. "You will not defy me!"

"Retreat, men!" Someone called. "Retreat! They'll kill us all!"

Another wave of wolves came in, and with that, everyone left the territory. Nirr laughed maniacally, falling to her knees and digging one of the arrows in her knees even deeper. She winced, just looking idly at the people approaching her. Charlene had a hand to her mouth, mildly bruised, but fine. Everyone else had a few nicks and scratches, except for Ranulf, who earned a slim gash on his arm.

"What the heck was that?" Soren asked, making his way up to the front. "You could have gotten yourself killed!" He practically yelled. "As far as my thinking goes, that was the most illy planned attack I have ever seen." He growled.

"So? What now?" Nirr asked, getting up slowly, a couple dribbles dropping from her shoulder. "I'm taking up my Queen status, Ike." She nodded at him. "And I'm going to beat the crap out of who did this. I just want to get this over with, dub someone else my duties and just go somewhere and be left alone for the rest of my life." She said. "Sure I could have killed myself. All the better for fueling the rage of the world, right?"

"Now you're just mad." Ike said. "Absolutely _mad_."

The pegasus finally landed, nudging Nirr in the back. She frowned, the effects of getting fired at finally got to her. Crashing to her knees, she finally fell over completely. "Ha ha ha... We're back on the road to revenge."

* * *

><p><em>Okay, a little dark. Berserking? Tanking? I think so. I'm losing my plot-ness, so I'm definitely going to play RD when I get the time. ^^ Typing 'Mad' makes me think of 'Mad King Ashnard', and how Nirr's acting. Similarity? Her world is kind of falling around her. War, Royal stuff...It is kind of nerve wracking. Any ideas? :D<em>


	25. Chapter 25

_I seriously need to learn to save my stuff... T.T_

* * *

><p>"You're proposing we do what?" Someone said, setting off a round of people. "That's madness!"<p>

"Madness you say?" Charles Baccus laughed in his face. They were all in parliament again, discussing what to do next. It wouldn't be the last time, but they all treated it like it was. "I'm only saying we take on the wolves again since our last tussle was nothing more than an exploration. We've found that the Nutty Heron Queen's daughter has taken up the throne and something's obviously got her in some sort of whirlwind tizzy... I say we route them for good."

"What about that small liberation group? That camp was full of branded people." Someone said.

Charles sighed, rubbning his temples. "You know what? The branded are no more than dogs anyways. Kill them off in the next go round."

"Sir-!"

"I mean what I say. The dragons are friends to the wolves as well. We want a war, we'll get one. They're on the Heron's side anyway. The Birds and the Cats believe what we do, and that's just fine. They're wary about fighting the dragons? So be it. We'll take them on. We're the Children of Wisdom, for the gods sake." He hit his hand on the table, making some jump. "I will not be made a fool of by those wretched wolves or those branded curs. We plan tomorrow, and that's final."

* * *

><p>The day after the attack was a blur. Soren was plotting out why and how the attack happened, a small tent was set up for him and the others. Loki was being taken care by Charlene, who (oddly) didn't like that. She said something about being tired of wolves because she lived in captivity for so long. Nirr ended up being just fine...to some standards. She still offered up wackjob ways to get to the capitol, and drew odd routes to get things done.<p>

"You're absolutely wrong." Soren erased another pencil trail, looking at her oddly. "You'd get us all slaughtered."

"Easy fix: we slaughter them first." She replied.

"What about the possibility of mounted units. What if we get someone who rides a horse? Without wings." Soren said.

"Throw the horse up the cliff? I'm sure Urya could do it. Anyway, we slaughter them and set them on fire." Nirr said, crossing her arms.

"Where did you get the fire idea?" Uray asked, looking at her like she was crazy. "I'm flattered by the fact that you think I could throw a horse up the cliff, but...Nirr, your ideas are off the wall."

Soren glared at her, his eyes alone looked like they could have Excalabured her into oblivion. "You're. Just..." Soren threw his arms up in exasperation unable to say anything else. "Urg..." He muttered.

"What? I think it's personally fine." She said, her hands on her hips. Nirr shook her head and waved them off as she left. "You just go on with your stupid planning. I'd rather Blitzkrieg." She sighed.

When she was out of earshot, Soren exploded in the abnormal Soren way.

"She's insane! Utterly crazy!" Soren growled, looking at Urya. "Was she this nuts when you got her?"

"Soren, she's stressed beyond belief. What if you had to do that? Hunh? Take up a kingdom?" Ranulf said. "She'll be back to normal though. Right?"

"He's right. She's not really a 'I deal with stress well' person." Urya said, frowning at him. "You're a little frayed, yourself." She pointed out.

"I want to look at my maps..." He said monotony, shooing them away with his hands in the same kind of manor.

So in short, Ranulf and Urya got kicked out of the tent. They just stared at him as he pulled the tent flap shut, looking at them with emotionless eyes.

"He's tactically deprived." Urya said, shaking her head. "What do you propose we do now?"

"...Dunno. Wanna fight?" Ranulf asked.

"Heck yes." She said. "We may have had a fight yesterday, but I'm always up for a mock brawl." She said, seemingly pulling her axe out of nowhere. "Chaaarrrlleeeennneee~ We're mock fighting! We'll be there to see you in a few!"

"Don't make the floor bloody when you come in!" She yelled back, going back into Loki's 'den' as he called it. The wolf King kind of had a few things that hadn't healed right, so Charlene was basically doing surgery.

Only a few had died, and Stella was helping out with all of this, until Luna came over. She almost died when she saw Ike and Charlene, swearing up and down that they were dead. In the same day, Ike saw how fast a wolf laguz could climb a tree. Stella eventually got her out of the tree, and they went into the den, talking business while Loki had a couple lodged arrow heads in his arms.

"I see why you want us to merge again, but, OW!" He looked over at Charlene, a slightly less than happy face directed at her, then he looked back at Luna. "We can't, because MY ARM!"

"Sorry! Either I get this away from your artery, or you're gonna get infected and die." Charlene barked back at him. "How did you manage to get it on the inner part of your arm?"

"I'm talented." Loki said. "Remember the last time we tried merging clans? You tied me to a tree and called yourself the supreme ruler." He swatted a couple bead he had in his hair away, making Charlene hit another tender spot. He bit his lip, letting out air so that it sounded like he was saying 'FFFFFFFFFFFFFFF...'

"I got it out, you bawl-baby." Charlene held up the bloody arrow head, going to sterilize the wound. "This'll hurt only a lot." She laughed, shaking up a bottle labeled 'iodine' and soaking a rag in it.

"Oh I don't thing s-SWEET MOTHER OF ASHERA!" Loki yelled, his eyes wide. He almost took Charlene's head off, especially when she sterilized the other wound. Binding it up was another thing. On several occasions, Charlene told Luna to do something so that he would stop crying. For a king, he was pretty bad about clerics. (like a child going to a doctor, really) "I-I'm never getting arrows lodged in my arm again..."

"You should have seen Nirr." Charlene sighed. "She was _laughing._"

"You don't say?" Loki asked, his voice quivering. "What a deranged little girl."

"You're telling me." Charlene said, wiping off her hands. "Call me when you're feeling lonely." She grinned, leaving them looking slightly confused.

"...Did she...?" Loki asked, wolf blue eyes confused.

"Don't ask. She does that." Luna said, looking back to Loki. "Brother, I need some help. Our part of the forest got burnt down. We're vulnerable."

"Yes? And?" Loki asked, getting a slap in the face.

"I'm moving in with you. You have no choice. You told Mother before she died that you'd take care of all of us. Especially Stella and I."

"...She was old and kooky. I could have told her that the cake was talking to me." He replied. "And she would still take it as 'I'll take care of my sisters'."

"...My pack's already here. You have no choice." Luna smiled. "I call your bed since I'm the guest." She strolled out of the cabin with a defiant smile.

"What?" He got up, hurting his arm in the process. "AAhh..." He whined. "My poor bed..."

* * *

><p>Flying around made Nirr feel better, a little less than one hundred per-cent sane, a little less loopy...you get the idea. Stress was driving her mad. Since she wasn't the only flying unit now, she felt a little more free to go where she wanted. The loose ends of the bandages were fluttering, and the bruise from falling on her face still throbbed.<p>

_'Rule one of the new country...No wars. Not fighting ever again.'_ She thought to herself. _'In case of crimes, we'll always give a trial, and I'll decide their fate. We won't associate with anyone else...and the elves will live in the Wastes. I'm not dealing with them.'_

She sighed, guiding the horse down to a wooded area. The trees hid the small clear water pond that was there, making it easy for her to go swimming for a while. Who would really be patrolling around?

* * *

><p><em>Ahh...I laughed at Loki's surgery. I'll get some more on Megan and Dante. I keep on thinking, 'aww, they're cute!' then I realize that I might be writing for some male reviewers. I don't want to get <em>too _sappy! I'm really like the student/teacher relationship with Skid and Laus. I forgot him this chapter! D: _

_Soren is so map deprived. He need his special time with his books, too. o_O :D_


	26. Chapter 26

_I really don't know what to do for this, so get ready for some filler. D: Fifty Reviews! By golly gee willikers! You guys are great! Oh and by the way: I was going around youtube for inspiration...and guess what I stumbled on. French and the Original Japanese cutscenes. I found out a few things to list a few..._

_1. Ike + French = ...Better in PoR_

_2. Ranulf in any Language = Epic (Sorry...fangirlisim.)_

_3. Tibarn sounds like a gangster in French. XD I had to say it. No offense to anyone who likes it or s'exprime en français. :)_

_You'd just have to hear it for yourself. I'd love it if they did a french dub for PoR, but then again, it'd just be another language where Greil dies. Maybe they wouldn't put too much echo on the Black Knight's armor. XD Oh, I know I'm saying too much here, but I lol'd when I saw that. I'd be yelling 'ECHOOO~~!' In that helmet until someone other than myself got a headache._

_*If I were the Black Knight*_

_Me: ECHO! *Echoes back.* You should try it!_

_Ike: ...Father, what the heck is this?_

_Greil: *Sweat drop* I really don't know...You may just want to run for your sanity._

_Me: ...NO. *Creeper face*_

_But yeah. Onward with this unless you skipped it already. o.o_

* * *

><p>"Hey, Dante! Do you see Nirr anywhere? She's been gone for days!" Megan had gotten used to climbing trees, and since she learned quickly that you don't grab the tree limb that's not there, she got to be good at climbing. Squinting into the distance, she saw nothing that looked remotely like a pegasus. Ethan said he was looking by foot, but Charlene ended up missing as well. Ike had decided to borrow a horse that someone found. (Um, Sang thought the horse was a deer, but then again, if it nays and kicks you in the face, it's not a deer.)<p>

"Nothing..." Dante took a little less effort in looking today, not shifting at all. He took a deep nose dive and reported back to Urya. "Nothing so far." He sighed. "Do you want me to go back up and look?"

"Please. She's got her head screwed on so tight...she might be at the other side of the continent if she was really crazy." Urya said. She wasn't one to get worried, but then again, Nirr was a little off.

"Alrighty then." Dante gave another flap of his wings, sending himself skyward. "I'll tell you if I see something!" He called down.

Urya frowned, turning back to the edge of the camp. The strategy tent was bustling with people, Soren was taking in intel from the wolves and anyone else, making sure he knew everything about them.

The wolves identified them as the King's Army, but maybe a different platoon. The officers were usually a little less hostile than this, attacking for good reasons...But then again they were an army. The king usually knew about attacks...this one seemed a little random.

"They're good people, all races. There's a pretty goo laguz combat unit, and it's pretty tough." Someone said.

Soren jotted it down, looking to anyone else. "What else?"

"I hear they got some sort of incarnation of the Blue Flame on their roster." Sang said, his tail thumped on the ground where he decided to sit. "But, it's only a rumor, right?"

'_...The last time I saw blue flames was when we were in the Tower of Guidence...' _Soren thought to himself. "I'll disregard that comment." He sighed wearily. "Anything else?"

"We've got hawks flying in!" Dante came bursting in, numerous feathers fell on the ground sas he came in, and went back out in a flash.

"...Hawks?" Soren shut his book, stepping outside, seeing the larger tawny colored birds land and shift. "Oh, Hawks." He leaned on one of the posts, looking at the bulky laguz walking over. "Hello, there."

"Where is Loki and the Lillia's Daughter? I have business with them." A man similar to Tibarn in sheer size and build came up to the tent, Stella came forward and stood next to Soren. His deep green eyes were unclouded by the windswept black-brown hair that collected around his face. One of his eyes had a diagonal scar running across it, eyelid and all. He was tanned from flying, making the red shirt he wore look pale.

"Loki is in his residence, and the little 'Mad Child' of Lillia is at large." Soren said. '_We've found Tibarn's doppelganger._' He thought to himself.

"I heard she was going a little off since she was given such a power in the world...but not enough to go at large." One of the hawks said, getting a look from everyone else. "Or I may be wrong."

"I'll show you to Loki and Luna, sir." Stella said, bowing a little bit.

"Thank you, Stella." He said softer, a little gentler than he was with Soren. The two walked off, leaving Soren a little irked.

"...Typical Hawks." Soren frowned, crossing his arms. "So, any consensus what we should do?"

"I say we bite em!" Sang threw a fist up, nobody followed in suit. "...Or we could just go with a civilized kind of formation..."

"Smart words from you, Sang!" A beige haired wolf said. The tent erupted into laughter, making Soren hit his head on the table in defeat.

"I'm getting nowhere with them." He muttered. "Nowhere at all." Soren sighed.

* * *

><p>~City of Laurel<p>

"Did you hear there was an execution today?" One woman said to the other. Her greying hair was falling out of her bandana as she poked around the shops with her friend, who was about the same age as her.

"Oh, I did!" She replied, holding her goods close to her. Thieves were popping up since the war started, and even now, they were as young as five.

The City's streets were buslting and full of life, after watching the rather large fire that went on in the morning. "It was that one elven boy. The one the Army tried to recruit, then he fell over."

"Well, he was a night elf. They do sleep during the day. Why'd they torch him?" One asked the other.

"I heard that he was like his mother." She sighed deeply. "Pitty. Elanora had such nice children. They say when he burned, the flames turned blue. I don't know about you, but I have never seen blue flames that vibrant in my whole life. The only time I think we've seen them was when my father witnessed Iudicium Deorum. The Ashera worshippers all fled, and above the boat they rode, was blue flames."

"Oh, that's just bull hockey, Gertrude." They laughed together, strolling down the streets. "If I believed in all that Chaos and Judgement stuff, I'd be thinking that there'd be something afoot."

"We'll never know!"

* * *

><p>"You're proposing an alliance?" Luna asked, crossing her arms and standing by her brother. "You know that the Dragons didn't do it, right?"<p>

"We know. Dragon fire smells like sulfer. The fires that burnt down the forests smelled entirely of beorec magic." Devan said, a little less up tight. "You do realize that your tactician out there looks like a girl, right?"

Loki laughed, throwing his head back. "Oh, yes. That poor child. He's been called a girl so many times, it's not funny anymore." Loki said. "All kidding aside, I do think that an alliance would be the best thing. The dragons are going to remain neutral, and at any rate, the'll want to attack. Starting a war for no reason. Even I don't understand it."

"We're different, we think opposite of them, and our Gods are even different. They want us out." Luna offered. "It's simple, _baka ani._" She smiled. "Tell your men to take Castor. He's been mourning Lillia, and I'm sure that he could use some of your hospitality. The atmosphere here has been affecting him physically, too."

"Those herons. So attuned to the world." Devan shook his head, frowning. "I can only wonder what he feels. He and Lillia were so close..."

"Did you know she was expecting? I could smell it on her, it was almost disgusting." Luna said. "That only makes the situation worse. First the affair with that one character...I don't remember his name. Now this."

"Terrible." Loki sighed, looking out the window at the storm clouds approaching. "You'd better be off. Looks like rain."

"Ha. Like rain could bring down a hawk." He smiled, waving as he left. The door clicked shut after he left, and knowing he didn't have over average hearing, Luna finally burst out.

"He does realize that not just any bird can't fly in rain, doesn't he?" Luna asked.

"We'll find out where he lands here in a couple days." Loki sighed, getting up from his chair and heading to the door."We better tell the little tactician. He'll be wanting to know this." He opened the door, seeing an odd sight. Soren was dangling up side down from the hands of one of the hawk soldiers, and his book was on the ground. Having no way to cast any magic to get away, he was stuck.

"PUT ME DOWN YOU BIRD BRAINED IMBECILES!" Soren yelled, throwing other curses out there. "I WILL ELWIND YOU SO HARD YOUR OFFSPRING WILL FEEL MY WRATH!"

Soren wasn't any good at making threats, so Loki had to laugh, getting him down from their grip. Soren stared at them with his big red eyes, then looking over to Loki. "If this ever gets word to anyone, you're going to be one sorry wolf." He said as the Hawks took off.

"As a king, I can't break a promise." He raised one hand, crossing his fingers behind them. "Oh, and the Hawks have made an alliance with us. The ravens are with him as well, so we're set on the birds. I don't know what we're going to do if we don't have tigers, but then again. There are prisions that we could hit up, right?"

"Sure." Soren said, still upset. He brushed himself off, going back to his tent and letting the flaps down again. "Better get inside before the rain, Loki."

"It's fine." He smiled, looking up. "Just fine."

* * *

><p>~Ethan<p>

"How could you walk this far?" Charlene's feet were plastered with blisters, and her scarf was getting snagged in all the tree branches.

"You like to complain, don't you?" Ethan sighed, looking back at her. "You're lucky that I care enough to not leave you behind."

"If you did, you'd be one sad and lonely man." Charlene said with a charming smile while she almost fell over a hole in the trail.

"...No comment." Ethan retorted, catching her arm before she fell. "It's raining."

"So it is." Charlene said, looking up, seeing a white flying horse overhead. "There's no rider on that horse!"

"I think I found her." He pointed to the almost unseen figure laying face down in the tall grass. "That kid..." He ran over, cape flying lightly.

"Oh no..." Charlene breathed, remembering that she didn't have her staff. "Is she...?"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Nirr almost thrashed Ethan in the face when he tried to roll her over. She got up in a huge stumble, flattening all the grass in a two foot area. "I'M FINE!" She was wearing a mad grin, dirt covered her face and there were new cuts and bruises. "Oh, hi Charlene." She smiled, tilting her head a little more than usual. "Were you guys looking for me?"

"Um, yes." Ethan said. "...You're making everyone worried."

"Oh, that's fine. I was thinking about coming home sooner or la-SQUIRREL." She was going absolutely crazy, dark circles ran around her eyes, and with a sudden rush of madness, she passed out, Ethan caught her this time.

"This has got to stop." He said, looking her over. "She's tearing herself apart." He threw an arm over his shoulder, noticing the other. "What is that?" He pointed at the pale blue marks on her arm, winding from her fingers to the middle of her neck.

"...The prophecy...The flame has died." Charlene said hushedly, a hand over her mouth. "We are _so _going to get _screwed _here real quick."

* * *

><p><em>Quick notes on this: I was listening to something from the Fire Emblem OST for the longest time (Cause I like classicalOrchestral music) and then it bounced to Requiem for a Dream (From Lord of the Rings). I must say. That fits in so well with what I'm writing! Then I went to the Russian version of 'Once upon A December'. Well, my music is a little odd. Got anything that would go along with this? :D_


	27. Chapter 27

_*Squiggle arms* I don't know what I'm doing...but yes. Yes there is cake._

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><p>~Loki's Camp<p>

"She's getting to be an utter nuisance!" Luna said, her nose wrinkled in annoyance. The cabin was filled with people, including Skid, Ike, Soren, Urya and the Lupine siblings. The rain was pouring outside, the pegasus named 'Hermes' sat outside, getting clean in the rain. "There's no way that she could possibly help us."

Ike was still damp from getting back from his exploits, blue hair dark and dripping. His face was set in a stone scowl, almost glaring at Luna.

"She's still st-" Urya tried to say, getting nowhere before she was cut off by Luna.

"Don't you dare say it! This isn't stress. She's utterly mad." She said in an angered snarl. She slammed her fist on the table where Loki sat in his chair, eyes closed and listening to all of this. "Urya, mad people don't come back from being mad. It's only a matter of time before she drives herself to the grave."

"She won't kill herself." Urya said, trying to reassure herself, holding her arms crossed with the thick gloves she usually wore. "She can't. I took her sword and Laus is watching her."

"I wasn't meaning it like that, Urya." Luna said, glaring. Her eyes said it all. She was thinking that she would kill like it were a rabbit.

"You wouldn't really?" Soren asked, looking almost offended. "That's _cruel!"_

"It would be putting her out of her misery! She'd be better off anyway. Dead like the rocks." Luna said heartlessly.

"What about the prophecy? Charlene said 'the fire died' today. We're about two steps from getting to the point where I'm sure that it's all true." Skid said, butting in. "What we're waiting for next is a river of blood."

"That's grim." Ike said, looking down at his arm. His blade hand was adorned by similar marks that Nirr had on her right. It almost felt like he was branded now, wearing a tattoo that told him that he was different.

"I'm sure it's figurative, right? I mean, the goddess wouldn't really send a river of blood through the capitol, right?" Skid laughed nervously, the room hushed to a deathly silence.

"I really don't know." Loki said. "I've seen some pretty grim things happen from the hand of the goddess." He looked at Luna, who looked back at him with the same eyes he gave her. "Remember the smiting of King Lawrence?"

"She _did _say that she would bring down a bolt of lightning as blue as the flames and reduce him to ashes." Luna said. "She's nothing to be toyed with. She will send blood."

"Yet another thing to look for." Soren said, jotting this down. "What would we look for after blood?"

"After a river of blood, ghosts will come back. Circe may be a goddess of the elves to them, but it says that she's the spirit who watches over the underworld. She's getting ready for a battle royale when that happens." Loki said effortlessly. "After Circe, there's Largo, the she-cat of death. Your worst fear should be Ezel. Corruption, hallucinations, and the worst of the worst. He can tear your soul from your body as if it were paper, making you nothing more than a hollow being. Nobody can call him a definite spirit, but more so a Bringer of Doom." Loki looked at all the faces, frowning with the next part of the prophecy. "If he doesn't get taken care of, this world will not exist. Darkness will encircle the world, and everything we know will be gone."

"...Three days past the destruction, all will be changed. Let the days of Judgement Reign." Urya said, reciting an old verse she knew.

"Why can't Asheruna do anything? She's a goddess." Ranulf brought up the idea, it was shot down just as fast.

"They've put in so much faith to these fakes, they're overpowering her." Loki explained. "When you have a whole country to back you up, there's nothing really you can be defeated by." He sighed. "I'm beginning to worry. War is approaching and everyone is praying to their gods. How will this even work? How can we get our 'princess' down from her tall that she's made?"

"If ordinary people brought a goddess from remaking the whole world, we can get Nirr's sanity." Soren said. "You said that Ezel had the power to cause hallucinations? I think that's our problem."

"I still think we should do away with her." Luna said grimly, looking at Ike. "Then you should get the heck out of here." She snarled, pushing past them to get out. She shifted just as she hit the door, running into the woods.

"Don't worry about her. To get Nirr back, we're going to need some magic." "Or another traumatic event. Your choice."

* * *

><p>~Laus' Cabin With Nirr<p>

"You're really not dead? You look like it." Nirr sat on her bed cross-legged, with her pillow in her arms, talking to Laus. Her eyes were blood shot and glazed over, talking to him since she woke up. "I'm so sorry."

"You didn't do it. I'm not dead." Laus explained. "You're really losing it."

"I'm sorry...you can deny that you're dead, but I'm still sorry. You don't know, do you? Oh, goddess, she didn't let you into heaven, did she?"

"What would happen if I said no?" Laus crossed his arms, only wondering what she saw. "What did you say happened to me again?"

"I accidentally hit you with my sword. I hit your poor little head and... Laus. You don't remember..." She bawled, holding her pillow tighter. "I'm a horrible sister..."

"You're fine." Laus got up and hugged her, his scarf trailing behind him. Nirr hushed a little, still gasping some cries. "You're still my sister."

She sniffled still, and the hugging continued until Soren, Ike, Loki and Charlene came in, making Nirr fret even more. "Laus...I see dead people..." She looked at them with terrified eyes, focusing on no-one with her gaping eyes.

"What's wrong with me?" Charlene asked, Loki explained the events, and how she was hallucinating. Nirr went on to explain.

"I accidentally went berserk and hit you. Charlene, I'm sorry..." She looked at her solemnly. "You may want to tuck..._that _back in your belly."

"What?" She asked, seeing nothing. Charlene was having a tight grip on her staff she was carrying.

"Your intestines." She got up, tucking what she saw as disembodied entrails in for her and sitting back down and wiping her 'bloody' fingers on her bedsheet. "Ohh, Soren..." She looked at him with terrified eyes. "I can't take this. I can't." She shuffled around, going for the window.

"Nirr, stop!" Laus pulled her back down, getting a smack in the face. "Uah!" He fell on his butt, watching as she climbed out the window.

"Stop her!" Loki said. Luckily, Ike was already out the door, being followed by Loki and Charlene.

He was closing in on her, due to the fact that he was running gawkily, and she wasn't in the best shape. Through the sodden ground, the mud sucked on his boots, but he still caught her arm, slick in the rain. She yelped, falling back to him. Nirr went through yelling and screaming, struggling and trying to get away by throwing profanities, crying and numerous other things. She clawed at his hand, making thin scratches.

"STOP! STOP IT!" She let out an agonized scream, leaving treads where she was trying to stop herself from being dragged closer to Ike. "NO!"

She suddenly sunk her teeth into his arm, getting a little more than a pained grunt from Ike, who watched as she just stared, looking at nothing in particular. Her brow was furrowed, brown hair plastered to her, just like her clothes. She looked a little less than a wild beast, trying to survive. The pain she was causing was like getting bit by a laguz pup, to say the least. Blood dripped down the side of his marked arm, diluted by the rain that was falling.

"Nirr..." He said, still holding on with his other hand. "You can stop now." Ike saw something flash in her eyes, they widened and tears started pouring down her face. A wimper made her body shudder, and she stopped, unclamping her jaw on his arm. Traces of Ike's blood lingered in her mouth and down the side of her face.

Instead of an apology, she broke down, almost crashing to her knees if it weren't for Ike breaking her fall. "I-I'm..."

"Don't say anything." Ike hushed her, the pain still throbbed. "Come on. You're okay."

"I think I went mad there for a while... Did I hurt anyone? Tell me, please." She choked on her words almost, fading due to the madness she endured. It took so much out of her, and it took a toll on everyone, it seemed.

"Just me." Ike said, watching her as she went limp in his arms.

"Thank...Ashera." She whispered, falling asleep. Ike picked her up gingerly, turning to everyone.

"She's back." He said.

* * *

><p>~Later<p>

"She took a chunk out of your arm? That's all it took?" Charlene was fixing up Ike's arm, glancing every once in a while at Laus, who was tucked in next to Nirr. "You've got some skill, there Ike."

"Let's call it that." Ike laughed a little, attempting a smile. "It was a little harder the first time, defeating a madman. The eyes. That's what gets you."

"Really? What's it like?" Charlene asked, dabbing on her (favorite) iodine. Ike winced, sucking in a breath through his teeth. "Those crazy eyes..."

Ike tried to sum it up, looking at the ceiling. "...Have you seen a horse's eyes when it's spooked?" Ike asked, looking back at the cleric. She pushed up her glasses, nodding a little. "It's like that, but it's like seeing all the fear in one's life collected there."

"She must have looked terrible." Charlene went on and bound up the wound, frowning at the teeth marks. "This won't get infected, I hope."

"Goddess willing." Ike finished. He looked over at the sleeping forms, so much more serene than before.

"Oh, I've seen this look before." Charlene announced. "Come on, spill the beans. Does she float your boat?"

"What? N-no." He said. "I was just thinking of a friend of mine."

"Ah, this friend must be a lady, then." Charlene patted her work, making Ike wince again as she stood up out of her chair. "I'll see you in the morning, then, lover-boy." She left, leaving Ike in the cabin alone.

* * *

><p><em>Oh, the random. I think this is good for me. Very relaxing to write. :D<em>


	28. Chapter 28

_I'm relieved that Nirr is back, but the chapter before is really creeping me out. XD Talk about writing with a bad cold! Oh, the random! :D_

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><p>-A few days later-<p>

"So I've been on a rampage for a few days." Nirr said, changing out of her long worn pajamas. "That's nice. I bet everyone got a kick out of that." Nirr slipped the shirt over her black undershirt, admiring the olive colored fabric.

Megan was sitting in the corner looking everywhere else than in Nirr's direction. "Yeah. Took a chunk out of Ike." She said shortly. "A-Are you almost done in there?"

Nirr sounded like she was hopping around, trying to get her britches on. "Just! A! Sec-ond!" She fell over, making a huge thud on the ground. "Holy cow..."

"Are you having trouble?" Megan asked, looking at her.

"Nope." Nirr muttered, strolling out with her stockings on and everything. "Where's my boots?"

"You lost them when you were out galavanting." Megan said softly. "It's kind of funny, though."

"How? Those were good boots." Nirr said, picking up a pair of leather boots with a cuff on the outside. "Whose are these?"

Megan squinted at them, arching her eyebrows. "I don't know. I think Sang knocked the boots off of some guy."

"You're not serious, are you?" She put the boots on, smiling at the fit.

"No, I'm serious. He attacked the soldier and his boots fell off." Megan said with a frown. "I'm dead serious."

Nirr smiled at the fit of the boots, coming to at least her knees and meeting under the pants she wore. "Those soldiers have small feet." She stepped out, getting a quick greeting from Dante.

"Glad you're back!" He cawed, swooping down and back up. "Come talk to me later, Megaaannn..." He trailed off, flying farther away.

"What's he doing?" Nirr asked, seeing some of the feathers that he left behind.

"Patrolling. Oh, and Loki wanted to see you. Something about your arm?" Megan gestured to the new tattoo she wore, the subtle lines showed barely now, making her feel even more branded. Along with her now visible brand on her shoulder thanks to the low back shirt, she definitely stuck out.

"Oh. Alright. Did he say when?" Nirr asked, looking around. Everything looked up tight, none of the children were out, and Stella was under lock down, she heard, due to some sort of runaway thing to check up on how Loki was.

"Sometime today. He seemed antsy." Megan strode off, almost running into the post that stood in the middle of the camp. She made a sound comprable to an 'oh!' and went around. Nirr sighed, knowing that she would probably get a lecture about how she wasn't supposed to be like that, and how she should be a little less like an axe warrior and be more queen like.

"Just _great!" _She flung out her arms, hearing something like the clang of metal and the sound of flames. Her right hand was clenched around something, and when she looked over, she saw a silver blade etched in the same design as her arm. She looked astonished, letting out a small wimper. "Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh _no._" She said, putting the sword down on the ground and walking away. It made the same sound that it did when it came the first time, reappearing in her hand. "What is this!" She yelled, looking around. She sounded mad again, yelling at nothing. Well, maybe an inanimate object, but it was still crazy. "GAAHHHH..." She groaned, throwing the sword into some nearby bushes and running. It made the same 'CHANG' noise as it popped in front of her. "You're kidding me?"

"I see you found out the weapons that comes with the markings." Loki was watching from his cabin, stifling a laugh. "Oh, that's funny. Trying to run away from it. Ike was funnier, though."

"What did he do?" She asked inquisitively.

"He made this face, and stared at it for a couple seconds and looked back at me and said, 'Are you kidding me? _Another _holy sword?'" Loki laughed. "He must have had his share."

"I guess so." She still looked at the sword, seeing the sleek design that was fit for queens. "Did you just want me to see this?" Nirr picked it up, wiggling it at him.

"Yes. That's it. You found out how to summon it?" He asked, doing the same motion she did when it popped up.

"Naw. Naw. I just kind of knew. Are you kidding me? This comes up with too many surprises!" She spurted. "I might just go crazy again."

"Please don't say that." Loki said, leaning on the doorframe. "That gave me grays just thinking about it."

"You do look a little older." Ethan strolled by, a couple leaves in his hair and cape.

"How _do_ you get around so much?" Nirr asked, looking at him oddly.

"It's my a-"

"Don't even say it." Nirr said. "It's my agenda, and my business." She said in a sarcastic tone.

"Right on." He stuck a thumb up and went on, going to the bushes again.

"He's an odd little man." Loki said. "Oh, and have fun with your sword." He smiled, moving a couple of the beads in his hair behind his wolf ears. He moved one back, hearing something. "Someone's coming in fast...Ranulf and Skid?"

And as if on cue, the duo skidded to a stop and were panting.

"Training...forest...army... coming...captives..." Skid panted. "General Baccus."

"Baccus? Haven't heard that forever." Ranulf, rile up all the wolves and get everyone moving. They've got a captive? Who?"

"...It's Laus...and other civilians." He still panted. "I'm sorry, Nirr. He fell back and I couldn't get him. The snipers almost tried to behead me."

"That's no excuse!" Nirr was in a tizzy, hearing those words. "I'm going in." She whistled and was cut short by Loki.

"They know you're the leading force of the Herons. They want you to go in like that." Loki said. "We'll go in arranged, and then we'll save Laus and the others."

"How can I? How would you feel if Luna or Stella was taken prisoner? Hm?" She yelled. "If I were you, I'd be pretty ticked right about then." She whistled for her flying horse, which came in an instant. Holding her sword in hand, she looked down on him as she took off. "Don't worry. I won't _die._" And with that, she was already gone.

* * *

><p><em>And she's gone again. I can only wonder what they're doing to poor Laus at this moment. Charles Baccus...Loki knows him. D: Good or bad thing? Will we know? Will this all fall through? Is there really a cake? (Portal reference, FTW) Thanks for all the reviews guys! You're really good at that!<em>


	29. Chapter 29

_Laus Chapter. I feel like I leave him out. I did change my username (For the second time in a year or two. :|)_

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><p>"Lemme go! I'll slit your throats when you sleep! I'll-!" He let of a ramble of threats, tied to a post in the camp near General Baccus' tent. He made the soldiers laugh at his spunk and anger. The only one who didn't get a laugh out of the whole thing was General Baccus himself, due to the fact that he was getting a headache. "-so you won't talk again!" Laus finished.<p>

"That child..." Baccus sighed, leaning on the map table. "If I knew he'd be this noisy, I would have gone for the laguz or the branded brat." He muttered. But, in spite of this, he would get a good rouse out of his sister, who was probably getting riled up. Oh, this was better than the idea of attacking the wolves head on again, since last time's exploits were a little more than a failure... they'd draw everyone out and kill them off then. He stepped out, looking at the child. They had stripped him of any weapons, and his face was bruised from a hit that he endured. His whole eye was turning black and purple, and his cheek was swollen. "Pipe down, child. Yelling won't help you. You may as well be pleading for your life."

"Bite me, old man." He yelled, not able to move and see behind him. He sighed, pulling the sword he carried out of his scabbard and gave a mighty swing, splitting the top of the post and barely touching Laus' head. Everyone hushed, looking at the child. He too was rendered quiet, until he gave a faint laugh. "You're funny! Ah, I've seen a better hit than that!" Laus said.

"My Lord, you almost split his head open." One of the soldiers said, pointing a shaky hand. He still had a grip on his lance, making it shake. "Why did you not go through with it?"

"Would you kill a bear cub if you knew the mother was coming?" Baccus said, pulling his sword out of the post. "It's a matter of thinking, soldier." He came around to face Laus, the little rouge frowned deeply. "And as for you, Laus...you've grown since the last time I've seen you. You're not a crybaby now, are you?"

"Die." Laus simply said, Baccus unusually ruffled his hair. "I can only wonder what Nirr turned into. I worry about her..." He turned, going back for his tent.

"Why would you? You're a general. You kill for a living!" Laus yelled.

"I'm her father. I'm supposed to wonder about these things." Baccus said with a laugh. "She never told you? Before Lillia and I were Queen and General, I lived on the border of Aceorlitus and Heron-Country. We fell into some sort of love, and she became queen and I was in knight training...and after Nirr was born, I called her as my child and then you came along...She banished herself, you know. Taking you out of the country and running to the Wastes. You were only two, and she was what...five? I don't know."

Laus remained quiet, piecing things together.

"I think she did the right thing, though. If you stayed behind, you'd be fighting your sister. And you'd be a little more dignified." He went off, leaving Laus to think. He was Baccus' child? Nirr stole him? How...?

"You're lying." Laus said, struggling against the post, digging his feet into the ground pulling up the post. "LIAR!" He yelled. What was the point of taking his own kid prisoner? It was all kind of vague, since the war was over beliefs and religion, but then again, this was all confusing. "I'll kill you, General Charles Baccus! I will!"

"Vowing to end the life of your father...Who's the killer now?" Baccus called. Little did they know that this would go on all the rest of the day. Small taunts of little threats, and the comments from Baccus. It was a long night indeed.

* * *

><p>~Nirr<p>

It turns out that they got Nirr back, after spooking her horse and Dante caught her when she got bucked off. It was 'difficult to get her back home 'cause she was squirming like a tuna', in his words. Geting her into the cabin was another thing. Every time she was let go, she sprinted, whistled and tried to get away. The second time, they tied down the horse so it wouldn't come. The first attempt at corralling Nirr was Urya, who slung her into the cabin, and she shut her own hand in the door and didn't dare open it since she was leaning on one side of the door, and Nirr was on the other. When she couldn't feel her fingers, she was instructed by Loki to open it. She unwillingly did so, but then again, Ranulf and Sang were waiting out there.

Sang was herding, and Ranulf was the side guard, and they eventually got her in there, along with Ranulf.

"Lemme outta here! She's trying to rip my tail off! OW!" He growled, clawing at the door.

Third attempt was a success, and then again, it was the most simple and one they overlooked entirely. Charlene came up behind her with a sleep rod and Nirr fell over asleep.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Loki asked, slinging the sleeping Nirr over his shoulder and taking her back to the cabin.

"Soren is busy making a plan. We know where the enemy camp is thanks to Skid, and he would have done the same thing as Soren." Charlene pointed out. "She's gonna wake up soon. You'd better run as soon as you put her down."

Like she said, just as he put her on the cot, she blinked, waking up like she was on some sort of sleep medicine: drowsy and not going fast at all.

"Noo..." She drew out, following the totting wolf king out the door and then she fully woke up when the door shut and locked. "You stupid dog!" Nirr yelled. She looked around, the windows were replaced with boards, and when she tried to get her sword, it wouldn't work. "What?" She yelled. "Why! Won't! This! Work!" She yelled, flinging her arm numerous times.

"Anger." Loki said through the wall. "It's a curious thing. You can't summon things in the name of revenge and anger. We'll let you loose when you realize that."

She felt like a child in time-out, complaining and making a big scene. On a couple occasions, she did fall on the ground and have a temper tantrum, cry, bawl and yell. She ended up rolling around on the floor, catching some of the dust from the wood floors. She had given up, looking at the ceiling at the last few moments.

"Laus. I hope you're okay." She sighed. "Those soldiers will pay dearly."

* * *

><p>~Soren and them...<p>

"You never told us how you knew General Baccus." Soren said, putting all the little tokens of the armies down on the map. "They're camping out a couple clicks from here, right near the base of the Mauraux River."

"He was a friend of mine when he was younger. I was one of the few people who was around Lillia when they met, Luna was a few years younger than me, so she doesn't remember." He studied the map, looking intently at it.

"That is there that much of an age difference between you and Luna?" Urya asked.

"Eighteen years, give or take." He sighed. "He and Lillia hit it off, and then he left again for schooling, getting to the top of his class. He left Lillia, had another child and then when Nirr was about ten, she took of with Laus. He almost lost his head, but then he gave up, getting most of the branded banished to the Wastes the second time around."

"Wait, that means this Baccus man is Nirr's father?" Ike asked, getting this together.

"Yes. She knows, too. That might be part of why she's acting up." Loki said. "What are we thinking for an attack plan?"

"I was thinking that we might try going through the trees. Go in through there, and then see if we can get through there." He pointed with a stick at the dipping of the tree groves. "If we go through this, we'd have a good chance on getting them beaten."

"What about snipers?" Ranulf asked. "I don't wanna get shot at like that again."

"If we attack in a day or so, they won't expect it. You said that Laus is Baccus' child? He won't kill him." Soren said. "We can afford to wait a day in this cause. Then again, I don't know if Nirr can wait."

"She's just...worried." Urya said defensively. "You've all had people you've cared deeply about, right?"

Ike's mind wandered back to Mist, and that time she and Rolf were kidnapped. Oscar almost had a worried fit on top of trying to calm Boyd down. And with that, came the whole thing with him being worried over Mist. He could only wonder what Nirr was feeling. Oh what was he thinking? He looked like he was falling down a hill for her! '_Snap out of it, Ike!' _He told himself.

"What if anything goes wrong?" Ethan asked, popping in unannounced.

"We'll recede back through the forest. I must say though, this is the closest distance I have been to my enemies." Soren said. "I suggest everyone gets some rest."

"Agreed. Everyone's dismissed." Loki said, walking out of the tent.

* * *

><p><em>Gah, this should be fun. Writing battle sequences isn't really my thing, and I can't get a good description on the amount of people. <em> :P


	30. Chapter 30

_I'm sorry about the whole thing with Laus. XD I made a big deal outta it! D: But yeah. I'm getting bored here, I'm getting to a wall, and I'm probably going to rush into the next part. Bear with me here!_

* * *

><p>In the dark night, Ike wandered through the camp, thinking about the day ahead. Nirr was going nuts, he could hear her hitting her head on the wall of the cabin. He sighed, going up next to the door.<p>

"Hey Nirr, are you okay there?" Ike leaned on the door, listening to the rhythmic beating on the wall.

"Just great..." Nirr sighed through the door. "I've got an ache in my head, my brother's probably somewhere dying, and you're talking to me. It couldn't get much worse."

"It could. It really could. It'll be fine." Ike ran his fingers trough his hair, Nirr shuffled and started leaning on the door like he did was.

"Fine? That's all you can say? Fine? How about something along the lines of 'We'll get him back no matter what' or, 'You don't need to worry at all'?" Nirr asked, emotion coming up in her voice. She hit the floor, the vibration rumbled softly through the wood. "You're trying to woo me, aren't you?"

"What?" Ike asked, looking confused.

"Oh, that's it. You're trying to make me think that you're all manly and crap and you're trying to get me to like you? Is that it?" Nirr asked, laughing a little. "You're quite the jester, there."

"Oh, sure. Of course. You're _absolutely right, _your _majesty." _Ike said sarcastically. "You're so good at jumping to conclusions."

"Well, just for future reference, the last male figure in my life who said he cared..." Nirr's hand suddenly burst through the door, sending splinters of wood everywhere, with her sword in hand and the blade on his neck. "...He lost an eye."

"That was your father, right?" Ike asked, keeping calm. Her hand withdrew itself, and she looked at him through the gaping hole.

"Yep." She said. "You're quick, too." She growled. "I'm going to bed." Nirr slunk off, flopping on her bed, leaving Ike alone. "You should really get some sleep. It's late."

"It is." Ike muttered, getting up and looking at the arm sized hole in the door. How would she explain that?

* * *

><p>~Laus<p>

The night was long, and it was all thanks to staying out in the frosted night. He was covered in frost, his pants were crisp, and his scarf was the same way. How long would this take? He wiggled the post, which was somewhat lodged in the ground, now. He kind of did look like Baccus, with the same kind of greenish-teal hair. Of course, he was only a young kid, and he didn't have that buff build at all. Laus thought of himself as scrawny and agile.

Baccus' horse huffed at the makeshift corral that the men had assembled, and frowned at the horse.

"You're such a slave to him, aren't you?" Laus asked the horse.

"Why yes, I do believe so."

"Neil, stop freaking the kid out. You are such an odd man!"

"I'm _not_!"

The arguing continued, until a pair of young knights rolled out of the bushes by the horse stall and started fighting.

"You idiotic ginger!" The green haired one said, trying to regain top spot.

"Moss head!" The red haired teen sat on top, pinning down his brother. He started hacking some thing up, and the moss haired one sat there with eyes wide.

"No. Oh no! Not the loogie!" He tried to squirm away, making the dribble of loogie sway and swish. "Romulus! Stop!"

He finally got him off, making sure that the loogie dribble didn't touch him. "Remus, you baby. I wasn't really going to do it."

"You sure looked like it." Laus piped up. "Are you two brothers?"

"...He talks." Romulus said, just sitting there.

"I thought he was mute." Remus said, doing the same.

"I was yelling all afternoon." Laus said. "You didn't hear?"

"We were doing Wyvern Patrol all afternoon." Remus said, looking at him.

"It gets loud when you're riding dragons. You're with the rebellion, right?" Romulus asked.

"Maybe." Laus said.

"If it loosens you up, we don't know what we're really fighting for. They just told us we're fighting some rebels who don't know their place." Remus added.

"We're just a couple elven dragon knights that got drafted." Romulus said, itching his pointed ear. "It was terrifying."

"Indeed." Remus added to his brother's comment. "What are you guys fighting for?"

"...You'll find out." Laus leaned forward, looking at them in all the seriousness he could muster. "If you want to live, talk to the blue haired man that looks like he could take down a wolf laguz. His muscles are huge, and he's very, very tough. He's one of the people in charge."

"Okay, okay." They both said, scampering off.

Laus had made some allies, he thought. A couple dracoknights. He smiled to himself, awaiting the morning.

* * *

><p><em>sorry I haven't updated. I hit a wall and I can't think well. Oh, I did really over-emphasize that Laus was kidnapped...by his own father D: that's odd and has no reasoning.<em>


	31. Chapter 31:Beginning of the End

_And...it's the day of the attack! We're going! :D I think I've cleared my wall, and there will be more chapters!_

_The only thing I need now is...Anna, a doppelganger for Kent and a whiny/angsty prince._

* * *

><p>The sun wasn't up yet, but when they opened the door to the cabin, Nirr came out, stumbling and clinging to a nearby tree. She didn't like being kept inside, and it was getting to her in the middle of the night. Urya looked at the hole in the door, making an odd face.<p>

"What did you do?" Urya asked, shutting the door again and inspecting the hole. She looked at Nirr's arm, which was littered in small scratches.

"...I wouldn't ask." Ike said, toting along a couple bits of armor on his shoulders and a gauntlet. He frowned, looking at the skinny figure clinging to the tree. "I won't ask about that, either."

The sun was peeking out over the trees, dying the skies purple and pink in places. Loki was going in for the rally, picking up some battle armor, Luna followed the same theme. Soren was walking and talking with him, and off in the distance, Ranulf was conversing with Stella. He said something, and she threw her arms around his neck and he stumbled back a little. Ike shook his head and watched Urya peel Nirr off the tree.

"We gotta get you suited up." Urya grunted, finally pulling her off. Nirr hung like a doll, being dragged away in the same manor.

"As long as we don't go inside. I've been cooped up too long..." Nirr muttered, being dragged off like a doll. "I can walk on my own you know?"

"Nice try." Urya dragged her out of sight. Sang curiously followed, wagging his tail slightly.

Ike frowned at the situation shaking his head. Looking around in the desolate early morning, he saw only a few people milling about. Some of the wolves that would be running in with us, and a handful of hawks that came in after the alliance. Soren looked at them with hateful eyes, the word of his 'hanging' got out.

Soren was talking through the plan with a couple people who hadn't heard it yet, and Ranulf was talking to Stella. She looked worried, still nodding when Ranulf talked. Ranulf said something, making Stella reel back in shock. She turned bright red, and attacked him with a hug, making him almost fall. He laughed, patting her back. Her tail was swishing fast back and forth, and she was standing on her tip toes. Stella backed away, suddenly fumbling around with her necklaces that were strung around her neck at all times. She pulled one off, offering it to him. Ranulf took it, looking at it in his hands, and putt it on. Stella smiled, pulling him into a sudden kiss that even he didn't anticipate. His tail turned pouffy for a minute, then he got a hold of himself.

Ike looked away, pinching the bridge of his nose. Trying to think to himself, he recollected all that happened. '_Why me?' _He asked, looking up. Nirr's flying fleabag was up in the air, waiting for Nirr to whistle. Ike wasn't much for pegasai, and the one Elincia had was a fart-bag. Smelling of apples and bird poo, it was a gross thing.

"I see you're all ready to go." Loki came up behind Ike, slapping him on the back, making him cringe. "How does the armor fit?"

"Just. F-fine." Ike gasped. "You've got a buch of force, Loki..."

"Yeah...they tell me that." He laughed. He wore a couple new pieces, a pair of claws on his hands, and he wrapped his back ankles up. "Your young tactician said that after this, we would go on to one of the higher estates. He says that if we get some of the duke's houses and some of the refugees that are working in their quarters, we'll have a good army by the time that we get to Laurel." Loki stopped for a minute, looking down and back at Ike. "He's very mistrusting, isn't he? He doesn't talk about anything other than tactics to anyone else."

"He's always been that way. He's been through so much, he's wary of others." Ike sighed. "He's just Soren, the little man who snuck here in an orange crate."

"Really? An orange crate? I would have thought he would go in a burlap sack." Loki mused. "He's dignified."

"Yep." Ike said, seeing Dante make the rounds with a couple of the hawks. Megan came down from her tree, greeted by Dante.

"Okay then, let's go." Nirr was all suited up, and in the morning light, she looked like a heron. Wearing a pale white shirt instead of the olive colored one, and silver tips on her boots. The armor was all silver, and said to be infused with galdr. The one thing that stood out was the small little adornment that hung in the middle of her forehead, a small little blue gem on a silver chain.

She whistled for her pegasus, who came willingly with a whinny. Nirr looked over at Ike, who looked like he was looking at that Elincia person again. She got up on her horse and trotted up to him and gave him a good whack on the head, making him scowl again.

"What was that for?" Ike almost yelled.

"You were staring. It's a legit reason." She stuck a tongue out at him, before looking back at Soren. "I'll be flying with the hawks and Dante, right?"

"Yes. You'll come in when we do, from the sides where the trees aren't. If anything fails, go back to the tree line. With forests this thick, they won't be able to follow you."

"Alright." Nirr nodded, and glanced back at Ike. "I'd tell you be careful, but you might take that as too much of a nice thing, so instead, as a queen..." She glared at him, making scary eyes. "Don't _die._" Ike returned the glare, along with a smirk.

"I wouldn't count on it." He said.

She nudged her horse to go, and it did, making an amused harrumph. Hopefully, there weren't any dragons all the way up there...

* * *

><p>Baccus watched from his tent, the day's activities pick up as the morning arrived. Up since dawn, he was plotting things out. Being not much of a tactician, he would have to run it past Icarus, the short tempered Halberdier. He was better than the blunt minded men in the company, and with his thoughts, Laus probably wasn't that sharp, either. He was tracing along the lines where the end of the camps were, then came the ear splitting howls of that wreched dog...Loki.<p>

The small rebellion army came in from all angles, Baccus came out of his tent, hawks, beorec, the branded and wolves, all over the place. Muttering curses, he got his sword and yelled at his scattering men.

"Stay calm, men! Form up and fight them!" He slashed at an oncoming wolf, the beast was growling and snarling at him, making a second attempt at his vitals. From the corner of his good eye, he saw the Heron Princess, or rather, unofficial _queen _riding one of the few pegasai that the kingdom had to offer. He kicked the dog in the face, sending him sprawling. He whistled at the horse, a high pitched 'squee' that would make any trained pegasus whinny and shoot skyward, and the flying beast did just that.

"NIRR!" Laus must have seen this, tiredly kicking Baccus straight in the back of the knees. He lurched back, almost falling to the mercy of Loki, who charged at him out of nowhere. Nirr was still trying to gain control of her pegasus, and the archers were taking cheap shots.

"You pompous dog." Baccus laughed, keeping Loki at bay with the flat of his sword, grunting as he did. "Did you arrange this?"

"I only want to arrange your death." Loki growled. "I know you killed Lillia." He snapped at Baccus' face, almost getting his moustache. Baccus deflected him, throwing him back. He had grown, since the last time he saw him at the knighting ceremony so long ago. "And you're trying to kill us. How nice, you murderer!" He barked, charging again and throwing out Baccus' legs. On the other side of this, Ike was chopping down enemies, and some of the men were still staying around Baccus and Laus, which made it impossible to penetrate without dying.

Nirr was having her own problems, yelling and screaming at the lurching of her ride. Sword still in hand, she still fought the arrows that seemed to fly at her everywhere. She saw Megan fighting them for her, getting most of the other archers. Her eyes widened when she heard the unmistakable words:

"Shoot the Pegasus!"

Everyone seemed to stop and stare, shooting every last arrow they had. Instead of staying and enduring, Nirr made a point to stand on the lurching and rocking pegasus, and do the same high pitched whistle that sent him high in the air. He went higher, and Nirr jumped. The horse would take care of itself now, but she needed her melee fighting. As soon as she hit the ground, she sliced at the enemies. Moving onward, seeing the massive power struggle between Loki and Baccus.

Blood suddenly spattered her face, from an impaled soldier, thanks to Urya.

Out of nowhere, a pair of dracoknights came, trying to get to Ike. Instinctively, she swung her sword, a trail of blue flame almost hit them, if it weren't for the ginger's quick move. Ike waved them off, saying something like 'Go then! Fight!'.

The numbers were dwindling, and Loki was still dishing it out with Baccus. Laus was inches away from getting away, and it was extremely close. So many people were on the ground, she didn't see Dante going around trying to find Megan. The dracoknights were circling overhead, making eerie shadows of the fallen. It was down to a couple of archers in seconds, Baccus and Loki still fighting. Megan was making shots, but Baccus was trained enough that he cut the arrows whenever they came around. Snarling and barking, while Skid rescued a tired out Laus.

Suddenly, throughout the air, a loud ringing came. Echoing, the bells of the giant cathedral rang. The huge aurora bells chimed, giving off a hair-raising message. The bells were only run on sabbaths, sacrifices on the holy days, and when the gods willed it.

"What is this?" Nirr yelled, looking around. She looked to Ike, who was looking to her for reassurance.

Loki and Baccus were still going at it, everyone else stopped, until an ambiguous ooze came up out of the ground, soaking the ground into chocolate colored mud. Nirr lost her balance, caught by Urya. Skid still had Laus on his back, and Megan still in her tree.

"Is...?" Sang came in, sniffing the ground. "It's _blood!_" He exclaimed.

"Ah, you still believe that stupid thing!" Baccus laughed, pushing Loki off. He just lay where he fell, the ooze still came, turning redder. "It's all a fluke! You'll never escape my blade!" He yelled, taking a step in the muddy earth, falling forward and getting a faceful of the mud. It smelled of blood and dead flesh, making him gag.

"You still don't think this is all normal?" Nirr asked, coming up in front of him. The liquid turned even darker, crimson now. "You're nuts."

"Oh, what's next should be fun." Loki sighed, not even bothering to shift back into his human form. "The dead will return."

Baccus looked up at Nirr, her face spattered with blood and clothing torn. Everyone looked similar, the red river flowing was on their boots, and all was breaking loose. The grey skies eventually brought rain, but it wasn't enough to wash away what was yet to come.

"We're coming to the end of the rope..." Ranulf said, looking up at the sky, the pail streaks fell.

"I guess I'm captive, then." Baccus laughed. "You're all overpowering me, and I have no army-men left. My dracoknights even mutinied on me."

"...Bite me." She kicked the sloshy red mixture in his face, walking away from him. "Leave him be. Help Loki home, too." She ordered. Everyone followed her lead, and they left Baccus stripped of his glory in the red mess.

* * *

><p><em>Oh, I was running out of ideas at the end of this. The random. It's just what I've said. I'm trying to stop myself from rushing, and so I might make a couple days still in the encampment and then in the City of Laurel. ...PoR Ghosties, anyone? :) <em>

_On a side note, Stella and Ranulf! They're so cute! *u* Oh, I'm such a girl!_


	32. Chapter 32

_gah! I botched up the previous chapter! *slams head on computer repeatedly* GRAAH! I need some muses. For fighting chapters. I suck at it... But yeah. Criticize freely. I'm angry at myself._

_...does this seem like it's starting to sound a little more Magna Carta to you? Ps. Math sucks._

_And! I'll ponder the need of OC's. By the number of views over the month, I assume there are people who look and don't review? Hm? This is one of your last chances! :D_

* * *

><p>The day before ended in everyone being patched up. Loki needed numerous stitches, Skid had a nice gash on his forehead, and even Ethan had a couple burns from the mages that were there. Charlene was tired by six thirty, and the day dragged on from there. Stella was helping with the efforts to keep everyone fine and dandy, and the sick hut was overflowing. She almost tackled Ranulf when he came limping home. There were only a couple fatalities, and the wolves mourned, and sent off the dead. Among the solemn faces was Luna, who was unable to join some of her comrades in the day's fighting. She looked down, shedding a silent tear.<p>

Remus and Romulus were there now, two young teens who didn't know the pain of anyone. Their pointed ears thoroughly amused some some of the younger wolves, having never seen elves. Soren gave them scornful looks, not really caring for the race. He himself had a couple scratches that he had gotten through running into a couple halberdiers that he decided to shove. Charlene was too depressed to really beckon him over to the med bay, and her eyes showed that. Urya was shoveling dirt, for obvious reasons. With tears in her eyes, she worked in the rain.

Nirr sat by herself, knees to her chest and still in her ragged clothing. The rain had washed the majority of the blood off her face, but her muddy, bloody boots still sat outside, waiting to be clean even after the night. Upon looking elsewhere, the veins that ran red were coming from the Capitol, all from the tower of Deorum, and the streets were flooded. People were panicing, heading for higher ground and everything. With a nervous sigh, she sunk her head lower into her chest.

In hours, it was oozing into the borders of Terradraco and what was left of Heron-Country.

Someone knocked, Nirr looked up, seeing Skid. His cape was in tatters, and he looked tired. "Hey." Skid said, finding a seat on the bed across from her. "How are you holding up?" He asked.

"Better than I should be, I guess." Nirr laughed a little, followed by a sigh. "I almost died, Skid. If I held onto that stupid horse, I would have died. I should have a dragon. Queens need dragons." Her mind flashed to Elincia, that successful queen in a faraway realm.

"But you didn't. For once, your jumping was for good." Skid said with a warm smile. "Remember when you jumped off the top story of the fort to get those rebel raven laguz?"

"Oh, my ankles hurt for months." She replied. "I thought the sand was supposed to be soft."

"Not in the Wastes." Skid laughed. "...Not in the Wastes...Tell me."

"What?" She asked.

"Were you at all scared when the...you know. Blood came around?" Skid asked. "Seeing stuff like that made me nervous, but you seemed just fine."

"...I wasn't scared." Nirr said, cocking her head to the side and furrowing her eyebrows. "It's a strange thing. I couldn't...I couldn't be afraid. I wanted to, the ground was oozing blood, and I couldn't say I was...afraid."

"Hunh." Skid petted some of the fuzz that was appearing on his face. "Oh, and Laus is fine, if you wanted to know. Or rather, he wanted you to know. That poor kid. They didn't feed him, so he's tuckered out. He did a number on Baccus' knee, though."

"Baccus did a number on _Loki_." Nirr said. "He's doing alright, right?"

"Charlene just got finished up with him." Skid replied. The cabin was becoming cool with the rainy air, making Nirr shiver.

"Did Megan and Dante get back fine? I saw Dante limping. He was doing all sorts of stuff. I think I saw him take someone's head..." Nirr asked, trailing off. "He's serious when he does that kind of stuff."

"Dante's fine. You done accounting for your subjects?" Skid asked with a quirky smile.

"Yeah." Nirr nodded, making a mental note. "I think so."

Skid nodded, getting back up. "I'll notify you when anything happens," He bowed, to Nirr's surprise. "Your highness."

This was new. She just looked at him in wonder, then followed him out the door with her eyes. When did this come up?

* * *

><p>~Tactics planning<p>

"We're still going to go in like I said before." Soren said, moving his shoulder around, since it was still stiff. "We'll need all the help we can get. We'll take down the capitol, _then _save the world. Sound good?"

"Will this mess up our fighting, though? We'll have a limited amount of time before all hades breaks loose, and then we'll have to get to the tower of Deorum." Urya said, tying and untying her hair from her ponytail. "And what about Baccus? We left him out there, would he spring back?"

"His morale seemed pretty crushed. I don't know." Ike said, crossing his arms. "It might be a chance that he will."

"Ah, you're right." Stella frowned. She was taking over for Loki, who was resting. "I hear that your queen is back down to her swordmaster status."

"Yes, it's true. The pegasus ran off." Soren said. "But that's a different problem for a different day." He hit a sore spot, wincing a little. "That hurt..."

"So when are we moving out?" Stella asked, leaning on the table.

"Let's get some time to recoup. It'll help if we just rest and catch up on everything. The twins made sure that everyone moved out from the enemy lines, so we're in the safe area." Soren explained, still rolling his shoulder a little.

"I'll go ahead an report back to Loki and see what he thinks." Stella said, flicking her tail slightly and leaving. The rain still fell, making everything outside soggier than ever.

"Come back soon. We're going to discuss what places we'll go to." Soren called after her. "And get Nirr, too."

* * *

><p>~Later<p>

"So, on our way there, some of the lords have a some slaves in the houses, right?" Soren had mapped out a line of attack in graphite, the slim line was prominent on the yellowed paper. "We'll go through the Ephran Estate, use the Lorren House as camp for a night, since you said that the owner died...and then on our last thing, we'll stop in Duke Verona's."

The rain was finally stopping, a hazy mist lingered outside and the air was chilled. Nirr was holding her arms for lack of coverage, and she was trying not to look cold.

"Duke Verona's crazy beyond belief." Urya frowned. "Do we really have to stay there?"

"There's only a few places that are in our area, so maybe." Soren replied. "You know of any other places?"

"There's an old fort near the end of the woods. It's an old place, but when Laus an I were running, we stayed there." Nirr suggested. "It's built pretty well, so it should be good to stay in."

"...And how long ago was that?" Ike asked.

"Long enough." Nirr rubbed out the line, making a detour on the map. "It should be around here..."

"I think that's a good id-" Soren stopped in mid-sentence, making a double-take at the tent flap. "What in the world?"

Everyone was peeking out the tent flap, seeing this unnerving sight. Shady figures, totally translucent to the eye were walking around outside, freezing the air around them. They went about like it was nothing, talking in hushed ghostly tones. Some floated above, walking on the thin air, and others passed through the cabins.

"...Ghosts." Ranulf frowned, his ears folded back and tail as fuzzy as a hairy peach. "I don't like this..." Stella looked the same, what would have been the hair on her hackles was raised, and she made a low growling noise.

"You think they're safe?" Ike asked, accidentally pushing Soren out the tent. He fell through one of the spectres, it looked at him with a faceless gesture of surprise. Soren was uninjured, looking around in confusion.

"They're cold...but harmless." Soren said, getting up, eyeing the few spectres that looked at him. They whispered something, pointing at him and his clothing, "...What?" He asked them curtly, brushing himself off.

"They say you look familiar." Megan came out from under the table, which was a surprise to everyone. "Some of them say you look Goldoian."

"Megan, when did you get here?" Urya asked, looking at her oddly. "You're not squinting."

"Maybe because I'm not Megan." She said, running into Ranulf, who kind of freaked out. "Oh, she has such bad vision!" She looked at Ike, giving a slight smile. "Hello, you dark bag of organs!"

"Wait a second..." Ike almost lost the color in his face, which literally dropped. "Yune?"

"The one and only." She smiled, looking around. "...I really can't see."

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><p><em>I'll put out another form (Better than last time.) anyone who didn't get to do it will get to, so get some guts and do it! :D<em>


	33. Chapter 33

_Oh, blind prophets are fun. Especially when they _really _can't see! I just don't want to focus on my OC's, and i've been doing a good/bad job on that._

_I've got all the OC's submitted here recently written down. They're really interesting! :D I mean that!_

* * *

><p>They all stared at Megan for a minute, her original color of eyes were replaced by the reddish brown of Yune's and she just stood there with a smug smile. Ike looked almost appalled, and Soren just stared at her with a neutral expression.<p>

"Will someone say something? Maybe like, 'Oh, welcome, Yune!', 'How have you been, Yune?', or maybe the nice, 'Why aren't you with Ashera, Yune?'" She said. "You beorecs act like you've never seen this happen before." She looked at Ike, Soren and Ranulf, who just stared. "I know you've seen this before." She pointed. "You beorecs are a silly thing."

"...Megan?" Nirr said shakily, eye twitching.

"I'm not Megan!" Yune stomped her foot, lunging forward and tackling her to the ground, and proceeded to stretch her face. Megan squirmed and tried to get her off, but it wasn't working well. "ANYONE WHO CALLS ME THAT AGAIN WILL SUFFER~"

"Geh ohff meehh!" Nirr yelled, her face being stretched to abnormal lengths. Urya pulled Yune off of Nirr, and she was still struggling. Totally hopeless being held in the air by Urya, she just whined. "She's nuts!" Nirr choked.

"I am not, you selfish, vain and slightly ugly beorec!" Yune yelled. "You're lucky I decided to actually come and help you crazy flesh bags!"

"What? But why?" Urya asked, still holding her.

"Put me down and I'll tell you." Yune said with an annoyed tone.

Urya gingerly put her down, and she proceeded to brush herself off. She looked around, squinting again. "I may have to take Charlene's glasses...She's blind." Looking at Nirr, she frowned. "I would have gone for Laus, but then again, I don't like being men. Their minds are confusing and they think of food all the time." Yune sighed, getting off topic. "You wouldn't believe what Sothe would think about back in Tellius! Oh, he was terrible. Food, Micaiah, food, squirrel, food...He's a sad case."

"Eh-Hem...you were going to say something about helping us for some crazy reason?" Soren said.

"Oh, right. More on that little thief later..." She waved it off, smiling a little. "I'm helping you crazy people because I'm pretty sure you don't know how to use those swords to their best capabilities, and your weapons aren't blessed." Yune smirked. "And as I remember, Ike. Ragnell is sitting back in Begnion."

"I guess it is." Ike said.

"You guess?" Yune asked. "You're still dumb. Even if you are in a different country, you're still dumb. You'll always be that way."

"Oh, you got insulted by a dark god." Urya snickered, looking at Ike. Yune just looked at her and tapped her foot, eyes looking angry.

"...Dark god, you say?" She said slight fury in her voice. "...Dark god. Where have I heard that one before? You really need to stop with this if you want me to help you." Yune rolled her eyes, getting on with the conversation. "I heard your plans, and I do think that Soren has outdone himself. I do agree that we should go through the two manors that you all plotted out. I'm also thinking that the fort was a good idea. Nirr, you really need to get some boots, though. Your toes are bare, and they're turning blue."

"Sure, sure." She rolled her eyes. "I'll get on that."

"Are you mocking me?" Yune asked, her eyes flashing.

"No, not at all." Nirr said sarcastically.

"I will come in there and make you think you're a nutty heron." Yune threatened. "I could have made Micaiah a berserker in her mind if I could have. Making you crazy wouldn't be much worse than what you are now."

"Be my guest!" Nirr said, holding her arms out. Yune was getting ready to jump out at any moment when the unthinkable happened.

"Would you both quit it?" Soren said, accidentally tripping over his robes and became the target of trajectory. The little orange bird shot out like an arrow, nailing Soren in the chest and disappearing. He just stood there for a minute, Megan was standing and squinting at everyone. Silence hung in the air like the fog outside.

"What did I miss?" She yawned. Everyone was focused on Soren, who still wasn't responding. Standing there, just a little hunched over and eyes squeezed shut. "What's with him?"

He finally unfurled, eyes still shut, and a faint grimace hung on his face. "I'm fine..." He said, opening his eyes, which were the muddy red-brown of Yune. "This is really awkward, though. I can't get out." For once, not because he wanted to, Soren smiled a little.

* * *

><p>~Later<p>

"What do you mean you can't get out?" Ike asked the immobile goddess of chaos, who paced in the form of a short branded teen. "You're a god, can't you leave?"

"No! I can't! It's not that simple, you moronic bonehead!" He yelled back. Nirr was leaning on the wall, watching this all go down. Ranulf had his head in his hands, trying to make sense of this. "I'm stuck because I was going to hit that little..." Yune stopped, trying to think of something that wouldn't be as vulgar as she wanted the word to be. "_Dove..._" That came out like it was supposed to be a curse, and the angry smirk meant that as well. "With all I had, and really mess her up. If she hadn't made me do so, we'd all be fine and dandy and heading off to the first place on the map."

"If you weren't so touchy, we'd be fine." Nirr argued. "You deserve to be like that."

"So, does this mean Soren's going to be royally ticked when she leaves?" Ranulf asked, muttering through his hands.

"Oh, I do believe so." Yune said, playing with Soren's long hair and twisting it into a braid. "...He has hair like a dragon...So soft..."

"Would you get back on topic, here?" Ike asked. "Are you going to be able to manage while you're there?"

"If you mean walking, talking, fighting and prophesying, yes." Yune nodded. "I'll be able to do all of that. Soren seems to be angry. He's saying something about this being worse than the idea of that one prince in the history books with the Sacred Stones." Yune giggled. "That was fun to watch. Oh, if only he knew how it happened."

"What are you talking about?" Nirr asked.

"There have been multiple cases of possessions in history." Yune said. "Me posessing Micaiah was one, and the one most noted in history was the one of Lyon, the Grado prince who was possessed by Formitiis.

"It was a sad case, really. He really cared for the princess of Renais, and she ignored him, brushing him off as a friend. I could have done something, but then it would have affected everything. For example. If I had intervened when Erika was going to kill Lyon because he requested it, Ike, believe it or not, you wouldn't exist.

"Fate is a funny thing, really. Ashera and I have seen it all. From the Altean prince and his struggle, to what will happen in the near future with a new hero and a smug-looking little blonde girl..." Yune got back on track suddenly, smiling a little. "I'm sorry about that. Er, I'll get back to it. He's upset. And he wants to rest up so I can stop evading his body."

"Okay then..." Nirr held out her arms, offering the cabin. "Sleep, you nutty little bird, you." She strode out, almost running into one of the pale grey spectres.

"I'm sorry about her. She's..." Ike apologized.

"I know. She's just herself. That's what's going to make her an awesome queen...a married to a lovely man, and having multiple children..." Yune said, going against all that Soren would ever say.

"How do I know that you're not kidding with me?" Ike asked, crossing his arms.

"Why would I do that with you?" Yune laughed, yet another new thing for Soren. "Oh, you beorecs take things too seriously." Yune plopped down on one of the beds, stripping out of the robes and into an undershirt and breeches. "I'm going to rest, so shoo."

"...I hope this gets resolved. Fast." Ranulf frowned, going outside with Ike.

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><p><em>Oh, I think another wall has come in my way. 0_0 Walls, leave me be. :|<em>


	34. Chapter 34

_First installment of invading the homes of rich, annoying and slightly OC Lords. O.o But yeah. Guess who's gonna get to bash some statues here soon! _

_Urya: YES! :D *Throws hands up in the air*_

* * *

><p>The early morning was still dark when Ike roused himself, looking outside to see the shadowy spectres still there, and actually gaining enough form to look like their original forms. Faces he never knew greeted him, and an uneasiness came up in his stomach.<p>

Today was the day that they would start their galavanting, and maybe get Soren back to normal. Or not. When Ike went to visit the possessed sage, instead of finding a little orange bird and an annoyed sage, he found Nirr and Yune (Or Soren...) rolling around on the ground, Yune (Soren) pulling Nirr's hair and Nirr was trying to get Yune off. They just sat there, being incredibly still while Ike looked at them with a frown.

"Really? Be mature for once." Ike said, pulling Yune off of Nirr and pulling her up by one arm. "Are you well enough to leave yet?" he asked Yune.

"I need another day." Yune said. "It's complicated. Normally I'd be out a little quicker." With Soren like this, it was almost like seeing a giant tiger laguz bark and roll over like a puppy.

"That's _lovely_." Nirr said with an accent. "Let's just all sit out there and have tea, while we're at it. Take your time, oh goddess Yune!" She turned and left, waving past the ghosts outside. "

"That's what got her tackled." Yune frowned, making Soren cross his arms. "Oh, and on a different note..."

"Hm?" Ike asked, looking back at him.

"Don't be surprised if Soren is really irritable for a couple days. He absolutely hates this." Yune arched and eyebrow and smirked.

"...That's nice." Ike said, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "We're heading out, by the way. That's why I came here."

"Ah. I've got his tomes all ready, so I can fight." Yune said. "It'll still be his might, but just me casting."

"You're fighting?" He asked.

"Why not? Ashera did it. Why can't I?" Yune said, triumphantly walking past him. "What a lovely grey day..." Yune sighed. "Just lovely."

"You're in a good mood." Ike said, following Yune.

"Oh, it's all because I can hear what the ghosts are saying. One with a clear mind can hear the voices of the dead. You can't of course, but they have interesting conversations." Yune explained. "Like those pairs over there. They're talking about what they ate before they died." Yune looked back at Ike. "You get bored when you're back on the face of the world, believe me." She looked around again, spotting another pair as they went along. "Those girls over there are talking about you...and your muscles."

"That's disturbing." Ike muttered, not seeing any familiar face. There was a ghostly whip of a cape, and he swore he saw a familiar silhouette. He spun around, not seeing anything.

"You alright there?" Yune asked, sensing his sudden stop.

"Yeah..." Ike said in an undertone. "I'm fine."

He went back along, Yune stopped him with one hand. "Wait." Yune looked focused on something in the distance, eyes narrowed at the faint outline of a hulking figure. Yune's eyebrows arched, taking a couple steps forward. "It's not nice to brush past without a hello, you know." Yune called. Then Yune looked back at Ike, pulling him along by a hand. "You know this guy, I'm sure."

"Say what?" Ike said, stepping heavily and looking at the short raven haired sage. He looked back up, seeing the grey toned figure better now. Still taller than him in size, Ike's eyes almost bulged out of his head. The closer he looked, the more color came back to him, save the translucent characteristic. The same yellowed cape, and the rustic-looking clothing. "...What in blazes..."

"Well, isn't this a sight to be seen." The ghostly figure crossed his arms, looking down at Soren, who looked down. "...What happened to Soren to act in such a manor?"

"Soren's not himself at the moment. An incident occurred and I, Yune, am in charge of his body for now." Yune shrugged. "I'm sorry, Sir Gawain."

"If that's not outlandish, I don't know what is." The spirit focused back on Ike, a familiar face of slight annoyance mixed with humor appeared. "What are you gawking at you insolent pup?"

"Ah, er, um..." Ike straightened up, scratching the back of his head. "Um, I didn't-"

"Oh, you didn't expect this." Greil jested at him, uncrossing his arms. "I didn't expect to be back here like this, but I'm faring better than you, young man."

"Oh, this'll be something to tell to Mist..." Ike muttered, shaking his head. "I'd ask why you're here, but..."

"Yes, yes," Greil sighed. "It would be...How has she grown up?"

"Before I left, she and Boyd married." Ike replied, seeing his father wince. "Is that not to your liking?"

"...I figured that would happen. When you get back, tell Oscar to hit him for me." Greil said, looking at his son. "You've grown so much. You're nothing like what you were."

"People tell me I look like you a lot. It's kind of...odd." Ike shrugged. "In a good way."

"Darn skippy it is." Greil said with a faux face of annoyance before breaking into a smirk. "You still have your mother's eyes, though. Those fit well."

"I guess so..." Ike said quietly. "Tell me one thing."

"What is it?"

"Have you seen mother around?" Ike asked. "It's a far off question, but I was thinking about her..."

"I haven't, but forewarning on your travels..." Greil said, fading away slowly. "When you get to the fort, under the stones of the hearth, pull up the biggest one. There's something for you to see."

Greil faded away, leaving Ike with a frown. In the cold wind, he could finally hear.

"I'm proud of you, Ike."

"Are you ready to go?" Yune asked, looking up at him in confusion. "Are you crying?"

"No. I just had something in my eye." Ike sniffed, wiping a little moisture that had built up in his eyes. The young man turned and walked off at a quick pace. "Let's get this show on the road."

* * *

><p><em>I'm sorry. Some of you anticipated it, but I just had to. When you have ghosts, you're bound to see some things. *Sigh.* And for lack of inspiration, I haven't gotten to them traveling yet. :|<em>


	35. Chapter 35: A random filler chapter

_With the event before this in mind, I'm writing another chapter. :D_

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><p>The thought still hung in his mind as they left the camp. Loki loped beside Soren, who was still under the influence of Yune. The two talked sparingly, and told Soren's ideas of the day.<p>

'_I'm proud of you, son.' _He had never said that much, but it happened. Seeing what was beyond his thoughts for only a moment, and a second of grace. He wanted to ask so many things, questions, about what lie beyond? Ike shook his head, trying to get the thought out of his mind. Instead, it was pounded out of him from an unruly hit from Urya, who was overly excited.

"Heya, Ike." She smiled, clapping a hand on his back, almost knocking the air out of him.

"_Phaa-_Urya, don't do that." Ike groaned, rolling his shoulders, trying to get the feeling out of his back. "What are you so excited about?"

"I'll answer that question with a question: What do rich people have in their homes?" Urya asked, holding her axe on her shoulder.

"Gold?" Ike asked,

"Nope! Statues! Statues are the most fun a girl with an axe can have." She smiled widely, putting an arm around Ike's shoulders, the other arm out wide. "Think of it, the shattering sound of marble, the cracking of granite, the clamoring of sandstone...It's the most beautiful thing you've ever heard."

"I've only heard the sound of limestone breaking over my head when I was trying to get out of a castle." Ike frowned, breaking away. "You're a little off about statues, aren't you?"

"Maybe. I like a good crash every once in a while." Urya smiled. "It's good for the soul." She walked along, doing the same to Nirr. She took it worse than him, yelling at her for scaring the crap out of her. She proposed her marble dreams, and Nirr just nodded and smiled, falling back to Ike's rank in the line of people.

"She's nuts over crashing things. She'll go to town on marble towers if she knew that it wouldn't kill her." Nirr sighed, looking at Ike. "You're deep in thought for once."

"At least I don't have shallow ideas." Ike retorted hotly. "For your information, I was pondering recent events."

"Ooh, big words for a man." She said. "Hopefully it won't toast your brain."

"Oh, shut your trap." Ike shoved her, starting a riot between them. She went off the road, landing in a huge puddle. She fought back, slamming him with her armored shoulder and sending him sputtering to the other side of the dirt road. Everyone was looking at them when they had stopped in the middle of the road, fist in fist, trying to force one to stop. Leaning against each other, they grunted, muscles bulging and a vein in Nirr's forehead pulsing.

"What the holy flying feathers, what brought this up?" Yune asked.

"He called me shallow!" Nirr yelled, pushing forward.

"She's an annoying twit." Ike said sharply.

"Take that back." She grunted, looking back at him.

"Make me." He teased, swinging her around and she ended up in a headlock in 'noogie' position. She pulled at his arm, trying to get him to stop.

"Ike, what are you doing?" Ranulf asked, eyebrows arched in a way that only parents can do. Stella was by his side, almost confused by lack of knowledge of the recent small scale brawl.

"She started it?" Ike said, looking at Nirr, who was trying to pull her head through his arm. "You did, though."

"Lies!" She yelled, still trying to pull her head out. Ike let her go, and she fell out on the ground, her hair ruffled. "You're dead!"

"On the contrary, I am." A well formed ghostly figure sighed, standing off the side of the road. His clothing was ornate, and he carried a fluent accent like Leanne did. His blue hair was unlike Ike's more teal than blue. He had one hand on his hip, and no-one could really hear him except a trio of people. One being Nirr. "I've heard what's going on here, and I'm sure you're not going to save the cosmos with a partnership like that."

"What's she saying?" Ike picked up on the ghost's talking after Nirr shook her head.

"I'm not a girl." The ghost said. "Come on, walk with me. You're holding up your caravan." He sighed, waving them along with the moving group of people.

"Who are you? You seem familiar." Nirr said, trotting along with the ghost. Ike followed, doing the same.

"What did she _say?" _Ike asked.

"He's not a girl, you idiot." Nirr said. "He's gonna give me tips on dealing with your numbskull."

"Lovely." He rolled his eyes, his ghostly saber clanking at his side silently. "I'm not important right now. It's-"

"That's Marth. He's been hanging around your camp for a while." Yune chimed in, making the finicky ghost cringe.

"Thank you." He said snidely. "That's wonderful."

Nirr looked at him quizzically, tilting her head. "So, are you famous or something? You're dressed fancily."

"I used to be royalty..." He looked at his nails and frowned. "But, I caught a chest cold and went out to the battlefield on the wrong day."

Ike started reading lips, and he frowned. "You got skewered?"

"No. I couldn't breathe and I suffocated." Marth frowned. "Wonderful way for a prince to die. With a cold and a lack of recognition."

"Soren says he read that you had a few good words put in for you." Yune said. The prince smiled to himself.

"Thank goodness for Caeada." Marth sighed. "But anyway. With those tips..."

The walk went on, and Nirr and Ike went through counseling. An hour or two later, Marth was pleased with himself to no end when he was through, fading a little. "You two should probably work on some ballay moves if you're going to be fighting things similar to gods."

"Like what?" Ike asked, brows furrowed.

"You find out." He said with a smile. And with that, he was gone.

"Nice guy. You could learn from him." Nirr said. Ike gave a hard playful punch instead of a taunt, but Nirr socked him in the arm as hard as she could and ran, making the whole brawl come up again.

"They'll never change." Yune sighed, eventually riding on Loki's back. Soren's frame was small enough to do so, so it worked well.

* * *

><p><em>Oh, the random. D: I still can't come up for a good thing to start out on for the fighting part of getting to the Dukes' houses! <em>

_Oh, and more ghosts. :D I know Marth didn't _die _of a cold, i just wanted to go OOC cause he sounds good at team work training. I mean, look at Shadow Dragon. He works in mysterious ways. _


	36. Chapter 36:Rescues Pt I

_Well, yeah. I've gotten past the Sunday fails, and on to Monday Sucks. :D Happy Halloween, everyone :D_

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><p>The manor loomed like a dragon, rearing it's elegant head and body, all a gaudy royal plum color. Urya was almost ready to explode with excitement. Stella was holding Ranulf's hand, witch was kind of odd to see, but Ike remembered when they went into combat...that whole thing. Soren, er, Yune was still sitting on Loki's back, the giant wolf didn't seem to mind. Nirr was crossing her arms, trying not to really do anything, but then again, she was tapping her foot in anticipation. She was kind of annoyed looking, and she was definitely thinking about the words Marth the Ghost had said.<p>

"So, are we going in there?" Laus piped up, standing by Skid.

Skid nodded, pulling on his notorious band of knives that he slung on his arm. "Yep."

"We'll live." Megan sighed. "Just wondering, but what does Soren think of this."

"He says we should go in the front and spread out. Look for people, you know. Check the cellar. It's big enough to fit dragons." Yune said. "Oh, and he didn't appreciate the fighting earlier today, Nirr, Ike." Yune tsked, shaking her head. "He was annoyed."

"Nice. Way to go." Nirr sighed and rolled her eyes at Ike, waving the others onward. Romulus and Remus followed, leading their dragons. Dante seemed to not care for them, since they were bigger than him and were kind of...childish. "Let's get this show on the road." The foliage crunched under their feet, and everything was still coated with misty fog. "Come on, you guys."

"She's gonna get it..." Ike muttered.

"Come on, there's still the comradeship that you need to do." Yune said, riding Loki still. "You have to be nice to her, and work with her."

"You make it sound like we're formally engaged." Ike muttered with a scowl.

"In a sense of saving the world, you kind of are." Yune said. "Soren says the same thing. He even thinks that's funny to a degree. He thinks Nirr's kind out outlandishly mean, so you have to deal with it."

"Soren, you're cruel." He said, walking off quicker. Loki made a sound that sounded like laughter, and Ike frowned at that, too. "Ah, shut up."

* * *

><p>The inside of the manse was just as extravagant as the outside, looking like a castle instead. Nirr just looked up at the ceiling, which had cherubs painted on the smooth marble tiles. Nobody was around, and some of the statues were already shattered, thanks to Urya and her uncontrollable urges.<p>

"Soren thinks-" SMASH "We should-" CRASH "Urya, would you cut that out?" Yune yelled. CRUMBLE. "As I was saying, Soren thinks we should split up into decent groups of two or three. Sang, Ranulf and Skid. You're a group. Ike, Laus and Stella. There's another. Ethan, myself, and Nirr..." Yune slurred her name so that it sounded like she was saying 'Nerrh' instead. "Ike, Loki and Megan. Dante and Charlene. Lastly, there's Urya and the twins." Yune waved them off. "I can never remember your names."

"Thanks." Remus frowned.

"That's so nice of you." Romulus added.

The groups spread out, and got to get to the other parts of the house. It was bigger than anyone expected, and much more extravagant. Always, Urya was taking small hits at the statues, and it was annoying to the two twins, who were walking their dragons along instead of riding.

"Would you stop?" Remus asked, looking at her with his brownish eyes. "It's like we're walking around with a kid." His ears twitched, which was normal for an elf like him.

"Be nice. It can't be that bad. I don't mind it. It gives some action for my ears." Romulus said.

"It's like you're letting someone smoke. That's what you sound like." Remus cringed at the next set of crashing, turning quickly back to Urya, who just stood there with axe in hand by a shattered statue.

"It wasn't me." She quickly said.

* * *

><p>~Ike, Laus and Stella<p>

"Did we really have to find the basement? It smells of death down here." Stella muttered, her nose crinkled and she almost gagged twice, seeing half eaten rats running around the floors with infection in their hides. Even Ike made a sound similar to that, sounding more like a 'Hnnh' sound. It was like a labyrinth, and just as confusing.

"It's not my fault. I just thought we should go down the stairs, and then you fell down them and found it, Stella." Laus said, scarf pulled above his face. His piney hair was sticking out in all directions, and he looked comical in the subdued light.

"Ike, are you okay?" She asked, changing the subject. "You look pale."

"It's the lighting." Ike frowned, rubbing his temples. He stepped on another dead rat, frowning and making that 'Hnnh' sound again. "I think I'm going to lose my stomach."

"Oh jeez." Laus spied what he stepped in, and did the same. "That's rank." He said, his small figure looked puny next to him. "Rat babies."

Stella winced, closing her eyes and moving ahead. "Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew..." She muttered. "It's only a basement, it's only a basement, it's only a basement..."

"Let's go..." Ike coughed, covering up whatever was trying to come up. "And get out of here, fast..."

Ike was the first to find the dragon, its tail sticking out in his way, then quickly pulling its tail back to itself. Ike looked over, getting a sudden attacker. Ike's sword appeared, and he and the unseen figure were struggling.

"What the-?" Ike regained his composure, standing up and getting a good look at him. He was a little ragged, standing maybe half an inch shorter than him and wore a black and grey cap, maybe it was a different color. His long coat was a little charred on the ends, and his armor had one significant dent in it. His halberd was a little worn, but it was workable. Otherwise, he was well. Skinny, but well. "We're on your side."

"Sure, sure, tell that to Munch." He laughed. The dragon reared its head, the greyish dragon exposed rows and rows of teeth, making Laus wimper.

"We're rescuing the people here." Stella said. "I'm the sister of Loki and Queen Luna. That's Laus, and you attacked Ike."

"I've heard of you." He said, lowering his weapon a little. "You all made a ruckus the other day. I heard Baccus was out. If I weren't suspected of helping your effort, I would have been out there."

"Hunh." Laus said, still looking at Munch the dragon. "He's not gonna eat me, is he?" He asked.

"Not if you don't get too close." He replied, looking back at Ike. "So, what? Are you expecting me to join? Pledge my eternal servitude cause you saved me from this rat pit?" He sounded sarcastic, and Ike could see the faint smile he gave.

"Only if you want to. It's your choice." Ike said, keeping a straight face.

He shrugged, shaking his head. "Soldier Shinryu Cage and Munch, at your service."

"Nice. Is there anyone else down here?" Stella asked nervously, kicking a dead rat aside.

"Nope. Just me and Munch." He said. "Why are you making an ugly face like that?"

"It smells." She said, covering her nose and pulling Laus along. "Let's go. It stinks."

* * *

><p>~Sang, Ranulf and Skid (Insert leisurely waltz music here)<p>

"We've got this all wrong." For some reason, Sang, Ranulf and Skid were hanging out on top of a chandelier, and all the while looking at a young girl who was swinging a sword at them. "She doesn't want help. She's more so wanting to hurt you, Skid."

"You can say that again." Sang said, looking down. The chords of the chandelier were strong enough to support them, but for only a limited time. "She's ticked."

"More so scared..." Skid flicked his nails, looking at the ragged edges he had been biting off. "I mean, look at her. She'll swing the sword but won't touch me." He sighed. "Ah, the irony."

"Get down here you filthy...!" She trailed off, her pinkish hair in a mess. Her skirts were in the same kind of tizzy, and she was kind of scared looking. "Draah!" She stormed off, carrying her sword.

"Is she gone?" Sang asked, looking around.

"Not quite..." Ranulf's ears twitched, and he frowned deeply, seeing the flying dapple grey horse and an angry pink haired girl on it. "SHE'S COMING BACK!" He yelled, trying to get to the balcony that they used to get on there in the first place.

She cut down the chandelier, Ranulf landed fine just fine, but Sang fell on his face, and Skid ended up hitting the ground running from her.

"Get back here!" She yelled.

"Stop chasing me, gosh dang it!" Skid yelled, pulling out one of the small knives that hung on his armband. "I don't wanna hurt you!"

Ranulf stepped out, stopping in the middle of the wide arc, and when she came back around, and he tackled her of her horse, lightly. The flying beast whinnied, coming to a stop. She thrashed wildly, losing her sword in the process, Skid just laughed. He stood her up, holding her arm as she tried to pull away like a small child.

"Why didn't I think of that?" He asked, looking at the scared girl.

"You were too busy running. Anyway, she would have pummeled your face in." Ranulf said, rolling his bicolor eyes.

"No! Don't let 'em touch me! He has diseeaaasseee..." She drew out, pulling harder.

"Say what?" Skid asked, looking at her oddly. "As far as I know, I don't have any disease." He muttered.

"Lies! He speaks lies!" She added. "Baaahhh~"

"Oh, she's seen the propaganda." Sang sighed. "Oh, that's nice. The effects of the king and queen."

* * *

><p><em>I'm ending it there. Woot! :D<em>


	37. Chapter 36:Rescues Pt II

_Daah, another random installment ~~ *wiggles* All the Oc's belong to their owners! :D_

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><p>~Nirr, Ethan and Yune<p>

"You know, you could have gone without bringing food." Nirr said, hearing her stomach growl again. "It's really not nice."

"She doesn't care, though." Ethan sighed, thinking of what he could be doing instead of this and looking at his hands. He frowned, finding a freckle he didn't even know about. "Well, that's new."

"I knew that freckle was there." Yune said with a smirk, eating a chunk of bread that she had hid in his sleeves. "I'm just thankful that there's room in his sleeves."

"You're so mean." Nirr frowned, stepping lightly on the ground. She turned back, hearing that the party had stopped. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"Oh nothing." Yune said, walking along. "Nothing at all."

"You're annoying." Nirr muttered.

"You're conceded." Yune said with a smirk, walking behind her.

"You're a bird. With fleas." She retorted.

"Oh, goddess of haute retorts." Yune threw her arms in the air. "You've got a soft spot for Commander Ike."

"You're-" Nirr stopped, turning back at her. "What?"

"You get warm and fuzzy when you're around him. It's kind of depressing. You care about him, but you don't, You just look at him like another family member." Yune said. "You kind of adopted him in your sense."

"You ate something with some sort of opium in it, you crazy bird." Nirr said without emotion. She turned back around and walked again, Yune followed with another retort.

"Crazy nut." Yune muttered.

"That's it!" Nirr went back, pointing a finger in Soren's face. "You'd better stop, cause I'm about this close to hitting you so hard, you're gonna fall out Soren's ear."

"Oh, I'm shaking in my boots! Well, Soren's boots." Yune frowned. "Just try me!"

"Why do you hate each other so much?" Ethan asked, leaning on one of the railings.

"She's just so annoying!" They both yelled in retort.

"I give up! I give up!" Nirr threw her hands up in the air, walking away. "I'll make my own search team and just leave you guys to your own devices. Gaah!"

"There's something wrong with her." Ethan sighed, walking a long ways behind Nirr with Yune. "You're not annoying."

"You'll see. When I'm not quiet for long, I'll bet you'll be pluggin your ears in annoyance." Yune said. Something snapped, and Yune stood straight, a goofy smile spread over Soren's face. "And I'm out..." Soren teetered, the annoying little bird appeared out of nowhere, leaving Ethan to catch the kind of confused sage.

"What happened?" Soren asked, looking around. "Oh, right..." He muttered, helping himself up. "That was fun..." He looked up at the little orange bird, who was circling above his head. "I bet you had fun, didn't you?" It chirped in response, ending up sitting in his hair. "How did Micaiah deal with you?"

"Oh, her. I've seen her. She's prematurely grey." Nirr shouted back. "Very pretty, though." She stopped in her tracks, eyebrows furrowed. "I think my brother is that Sothe-guy's doppelganger."

"That's not random at all..." Ethan sighed. "I could be doing something else."

"I bet you could." Soren sighed. "I bet you could."

* * *

><p>~Dante &amp; Charlene<p>

"You know, you're kind of cute." Charlene was back in her own haunts, being the normal woman she was. "Like some sort of angel."

"Okay." Dante flitted around, trying not to get freaked out. He really wished that Megan was there...wait, where was Megan? "Hey, where's Megan?"

"She tagged along with...You know, I think she..."

"Yeah, and I can't see well. It's kind of odd. I can see far away, but when I bumped into you..." Megan's voice echoed down the hall caddy corner to them.

"Megan?" Dante called, flitting to the hall. Megan saw him and smiled.

"Hi, Dante." She smiled. "Hey, this is Vill. I ran into him in the manor."

"...Literally." His orangey hair was almost as dirty as his clothes, and he looked like a pirate. "I'm only here cause I heard a commotion in the halls..." He said annoyedly. "So I climbed in the window and she bashed into me."

"I'm sorry about that." Megan smiled, rubbing the back of her head.

"...I'll be heading off..." He sighed, turning away.

"Hey, sweetie..." Charlene came up behind him, grabbing the back of his coat and spinning him around, and getting unbelievably close. "I know you're not one of the manor's servants and you seem to live a contemporary life..." She drew out in the most sickeningly sweet tone she could muster, tracing a circle with her finger on his coat. "...But our group exploring this place is in a bit of a predicament, and we kind of need all the help we can get..." She batted her eyelashes at him, getting some sort of expression of horror and...who knows what.

"...If you let me go and promise to never do that again, you have a deal. Just do one thing for me..." He pulled back, smirking a little.

"What's that going to be?" Charlene asked, smiling even though Megan and Dante were just sitting there, scared out of their wits.

"...Do you have anything to eat?" He asked with a jaw dropping smirk. Charlene reeled back, getting a taste of her own medicine, getting slightly red in the face and she ended up handing over a small sandwich. "Thank you, madam..."

"I'll get you back some day," She said, walking past him and whispering in his ear. He frowned, then laughed.

"I'll look forward to that day, Miss..." He laughed, watching her as she strolled past. "Oh, and thanks for the free meal." He followed her, only caring because she fed him. For the rest of the day, he was kind of crude to everyone else.

"...Dante?" Megan asked, squinting at him and walking again.

"Yeah?" He replied quietly.

"...What did Charlene say to him?" Her expression turned sour, and she shook her head. "Never mind. I don't wanna know."

"That's a good idea." Dante said, fluttering along. "Good idea."

* * *

><p><em>Soren's back! I'm so glad! It was getting kind of weird to write for him while under the influence of Yune. (sounds like i'm describing a drug, but okay. XD) Yeah. Is it wrong that I want snow...In October?<em>


	38. Chapter 37:Staying the Night

_Well, I'm trying to keep getting this done on a daily basis, but yeah. Yune's gone from Soren, woot! It's just...Yune likes Megan better. XD This is gonna be the kind of late halloween chapter, cause I'm just that late. _

_Thanks for telling me there's errors! I looked through it again, and I face-palmed myself. You guys are great! :D_

* * *

><p>The end result was just as they had expected. Two or three people came from the manor, and then there the one that snuck in. Megan had wandered off from her group, scaring the crap out of them and such, but then, the little orange bird of chaos came in, and then that ended that rant.<p>

"Aliright, alright. She gets it. It happens when you can't see." Yune smiled, petting Megan's red hair. "Oh, I feel like I'm human..."

"There's something wrong with her. It creeps me out." Vill was leaning on Shinryu, and Munch was outside growling at him for that. Kaeda was looking around nervously, kind of getting used to all the branded people, but complaining about how they looked. Shinryu was frowning deeply, finding out what he had signed up for. He didn't care much for the Branded, and he uttered a couple bigoted comments and spat.

"Ohh..." Kaeda muttered, looking around. "Ohh...this is weird." She wrung her hands, her sword was on her belt. "Ah..." She kept a wary eye on Skid, looking at Soren every once in a while and frowning.

"Oh, you're so cute." Yune smiled, going up to Kaeda. "You're adorable..." She trotted over, ending up pinching her cheeks and making fat tears apear on the corner of her brown eyes.

"What are you doing?" Urya asked, looking at the odd goddess and the poor girl.

"Lebt gobe obb my fabse." Kaeda cried, not knowing what to do.

"Would you stop?" Nirr pulled her away, and suddenly got a punch in the face. Yune shook her hand, frowning at the bruise that would show up later that day. Nirr instinctively held her nose, looking angrily at the small goddess. "What the heck is wrong with you?" She asked, looking at her.

"You had it coming." Yune frowned. "It's my way of saying 'stop doing that or it'll happen again'."

"Oh, I'll show you-"

"Nirr, just leave her be." Urya said, holding her back by her shoulder.

"'Just leave her be'," Nirr mocked, pulling away. "I got by the goddess of crazy, and you expect me to 'leave her be'?"

"Goddess of _chaos_" Yune scowled.

"She's got a point." Vill said, holding up a finger.

"Stay out of it." Nirr barked back, pointing a finger at him. "You don't know the terror of that little girl."

Vill just stood there, then shrugged. Remus and Romulus just looked at each other and then back at her.

"She's fine. You're the one with the odd attitude." Ike said, face neutral.

"You dare say another word, I'll so make you regret it." She glared at him, he glared right back.

"You wanna bet on that?" Ike retorted, arching an eyebrow to make Nirr even more infuriated.

"That's a lovely note." Soren sighed. "And, on that, we're going to stay here for the night. You said the owner of the manse fled when the odd occurrences started?"

"Yes, and most of the house staff along with him." Shinryu piped up. "He said that we could go, but me and Munch don't know where else to go, so we stayed."

"I did, too, cause..." Kaeda shrugged. "I don't know."

"That's nice." Soren said with a grouchy tone. "Well, you're all dismissed." He sighed, trumping away.

* * *

><p>~Way later that night...<p>

Laus was wandering the halls late that night, casually strolling without his pale tan scarf or any of his weapons. This extravagant house thrilled him to no end, not ever being able to live in something this awesome. Eyes wide with wonder, he just went slowly on his way.

"Hey, kiddo." Sang came up behind him, scaring him to a point where he made a quick yelp and made a futile loose hand punch to Sang's belly. "Well, that's an odd response." He muttered.

"Oh, it's you." Laus sighed, slouching a little. "Don't do that to me." He walked along, turning his back to him.

"Why not? It's funny to see you little beorecs jump." Sang laughed, following him. "It's like you think you're going to be attacked by something."

"Or _someone_." Laus muttered, glancing at him. "Anyway, I'm kinda freaked out that we're here cause I heard that there's a ghost."

Sang looked at him oddly, making a small frown of confusion. "There's ghosts everywhere, these days." He said.

"No, I mean like a bad one. You know, the ones that hurt you." Laus refined his answer, still walking. He looked up at the intricate golden candle holders, seeing the dusty wax of the candles.

"Evil spirits?"

"Yeah, those." Laus replied. "I heard there's one here, so I'm on edge."

"Ah." Sang nodded, looking around. "Laus look! It's the spirit!" Loki yelled.

"WHERE?" He dove behind Sang, his head peaking out from behind Sang's torso. "...Hey..." He drew out, hitting Sang in the back. "You're just mean."

"No, I'm having creative fun. It's better than chasing my tail." Sang crossed his arms, following Laus as he walked on.

"You do that?" Laus asked, frowning.

"...NO." Sang looked away.

"One of these days, I'm gonna throw a stick and see if you go get it." Laus laughed.

"Try me." He muttered back, his ears suddenly perking up. He stopped suddenly, making Laus stop and look at him funny. "Oh no." Sang whined, his tail finding a spot between his legs.

"What's up with you?" Laus asked, not getting the hint that there was something behind him. As the cold feeling crept up his spine, he was making the same scared face as Sang, seeing the tendrils of grey smoke come up behind him. "It's right behind me, isn't it...?" He asked in a squeaky voice. Sang nodded, turning Laus around to see.

The spectre stood six feet tall, covered in cobwebs, wearing extremely old clothing and pale skin hung off him. As they looked up, his eyes glowed gold, and his hair was grey and stuck out all over. Laus just stood there with his mouth open and eyes wide.

The spectre raised its bony arms, yowling, scaring them into running down the halls, yelling and screaming. They almost fell down the stairs, running into Loki.

"What are you doing?" Loki asked, looking at them quizzically.

They blabbered and bawled, saying things at the same time. Loki only stood there and listened. When they were done, he sighed, looking up to the figure who stood at the top of the stairs now. They looked back, screaming again. It came down the stairs, Sang and Laus clamored behind Loki, who just stood there until it came close enough for him to grab its face, and he just stood there. No problem whatsoever. It squirmed and groaned, until the face came off, leaving it headless.

"Ethan, I think you and the twins did a good enough for the day." Loki said.

"Say what?" The two cowards said, looking up. Sure enough, there was Remus was up above the spectre, and Ethan and Romulus were climbing out of the giant costume.

"It was a fun part of my agenda." Ethan smiled widely.

"Same here. Okay, you can take Mark out, now." Romulus called, almost falling upon getting out. "Sorry 'bout almost hitting your face. Twice."

"No problem, kid." Ethan laughed. "You wanna see if we can freak Nirr and Ike out?"

"YES." The twins grinned, leaving with Ethan.

Laus and Sang just sat there with perturbed expressions, still standing crouched even after Loki left with a laugh.

"Yo no gusta." Laus muttered, walking off in his crouch.

"What did you just say? I don't speak that." Sang said, looking confused and forgetting the whole situation.

* * *

><p><em>Happy late Halloween, people. :D<em>


	39. Chapter 38:Traveling

_Bah, people make me angry. It's life. Meh. I'm angry._

* * *

><p>The new morning brought surprises that nobody expected. Like Ike and Nirr being up early, practicing some sort of 'let's see if I can cut down the chandelier while you catapult me skyward' thing. To say the least, it was amusing and slightly painful. After practicing for a couple hours, Nirr was covered in bruises, and Ike's shoulders were visibly pained from hurling her skyward.<p>

"Okay, let's go another round, okay?" Nirr panted, her hands on her knees as she hunched over. "We can do this, I was so close..."

"Close is about three feet away?" Ike asked, looking at her with a befuddled expression. "I'm sorry, but you're nuts."

Charlene and a bunch of others looked from the grand hall balcony, watching. Loki stood with his arms crossed and his tail flicked, eagerly waiting for this feat. Skid frowned, not perceiving why this would help them. Vill leaned on the railing, somehow finding an apple among the baren area of the Manse.

Nirr took a few steps back, holding her sword in hand and sweat on her brow. Messy brown hair pulled into an extremely loose bun. "You ready for me?"

"If it's the last time, absolutely." Ike groaned, rolling his shoulders. "Three...two...one..."

"GO!" Nirr yelled, sprinting toward him. When she got within two feet of him, she lept, Ike caught one of her booted feet and acted like a springboard and hurling her upward several feet, almost getting all the way up there. Instead of slicing the rope cable to the chandelier, she ended up hanging in the intricate mess of chain and wire-work that held it together. She spat a string of curses, looking back down at Ike. "You threw me wrong, you buffoon!"

"It would have helped if you were a little lighter." He called back, crossing his arms.

"Are you calling me fat?" Nirr yelled, making the chandelier sway and rock. She looked over to Charlene, who smiled unconditionally. "He called me fat!"

"Can't help it kid. You're bottom heavy." Charlene said, laughing to herself. A small chortle came from Vill, who was probably thinking the same thing.

"Oh, you guys are funny." Skid said, looking at Nirr, who was too far to get to the balcony. "Do we need to get one of the twins to get you down? Or are you going to make that thing snap?"

"Oh, ha ha." Nirr grumbled, standing up on the shaky decoration. She lept to the other, making it sway as she clung, and she eventually (somehow) made it to the balcony. She went down the stairs back to the lower main hall, slugged Ike in the arm, and then left. "You're a real piece." She muttered, leaving. "Oh, and we're heading out later. It's almost seven, so says the faulty sundial..." She looked out the window, seeing the grey outside. Still murky skies, still the same ghosties running around. "Another lovely day, Yune."

The little orange bird flitted out of nowhere, pecked her on the head, and then left. Nirr just sat there, rubbing her head. "What an angry bird..."

* * *

><p>Walking down the well-ridden trails again was a little less than exhilarating. Every time they stopped, which was once or twice every few hours, Nirr got Ike to practice the launch hit. She ended up in trees, on top of people, and she ended up landign fine once...then Vill thought it would be funny to just wait and then push her down when she landed it.<p>

"Life sucks. Get used to it." He said with a faint trace of arrogant smile.

"Why. Can't. I. Get. This." Nirr said, hitting her head on a tree. The sky was thin enough to let a little bit of light in. Otherwise, it was the same old, same old.

"Maybe it's because you're just not ready yet." Loki said, coming up to the angered duo. Ike sat on a nearby rock, and he was rubbing one shoulder with his thumb stretched to get the achy joint loosened up. "I've seen you two practice, and you repel each other like oil and water." He said, looking at them with a slight wolfish smirk. "Nirr, you're the one who won't mix."

"What?" Nirr whined, showing off her red forehead. "I'm not mixing? Er, I'm the unsocial one?"

"That's what he said." Ike sighed. "It's because you're such a...I don't even know if there's a word for it."

"Look! That's what I have to deal with. He's just so..." Nirr growled, running her fingers through her hair. "Gah! No, I don't want to deal with you. I'm going on a walk." Nirr stomped off a few feet, then turned around. "A LONG one!"

And with that, she was off. "Was she always that stubborn?" Ike asked.

Loki only sighed, rolling his eyes. "Do wolf laguz always have a question for a question?" Loki looked back at Ike.

"Uhh..."

"It's a yes for both." Loki said. "She just needs to realize that we need teamwork for you two. Otherwise, she's never going to get it."

* * *

><p>~At the next stop<p>

"Throw me again." Both Nirr and Ike were now sporting the bruises they were working for. Charlene was pretty sure that at least two of Ike's fingers were broken, and Nirr was bound to break something. "Just do it, okay?"

"I'm not going to." Ike pulled one of his jammed fingers, making a sickening pop. He didn't even wince, but when he went on to the next finger, Nirr was the one wincing. She watched as he pulled his now black and blue fingers, kind of regretting that she was forcing him to practice. "Because." SNAP. _"_I'm." KRK. "Not going to." KRA-KRA-KRK!

He walked away, Nirr just stood with a disgusted and worried expression. "Oh, that can't be good..." She plopped down in the grass, a couple spirits moving at the air disturbance she made. "He pops his fingers...and doesn't even wince...While I'm sitting and just doing the same when he does it..." Everything was quiet, since everyone was a little ways off.

"Yeah. He's kinda cool like that." Ethan came out of nowhere, becoming Ethan the Great Philosopher. "He really cares, too. Blunt, but soft enough to make a point."

"When did you become a philosopher?" Nirr asked him.

"When you became unable to cooperate." Marth the ghost was back again, Ethan saw him, too.

"He is right." Ethan said with an unusual smile.

"You can hear him, too?" Nirr asked with a frown.

"Yep." Ethan laughed. He was in a good mood today. "You should listen to him. He's a little girly, but he's worth the chat."

"I'm girly..." Marth said sarcastically. "And you're unsocial."

"I heard that." Ethan called, unseen but still there.

Nirr and Marth talked for a while, about being dead, being a ghost, if he could possess anyone like Yune could, or if he could make Ike any more bearable.

"I can't influence disposition, but I can possess people. It's weird." He muttered, trying to rake up grass, but failing inevitably.

"Try me." Nirr said, not thinking.

"Psh, nah. I'd be wasting my energy, and I know you're not serious." Marth said, looking over at Nirr with a concerned expression. "You are kidding, right?"

"I'm a curious person, Marth." Nirr said. "Maybe it'll get me up to my point." She pointed at the raw looking cut in the tree, where they were aiming for since they stopped.

"No." Marth laughed. "No, no, no, _no._"

"Come on, Marth. Just once." She said, batting her eyelashes at him. Marth reeled back, his ghostly pale face actually growing red.

"I might not be able to come back? Or I might accidentally kill you." He offered up, scooting away.

"How bad could it be?" She said following him.

"Did you even listen to me?" Marth said, raising his eyebrows in alarm. "You're nuts."

"And you're mean." Nirr faked a sulk, turning around. Being the way that Marth was, he caved almost instantly. "You're m-"

"Alright..." Marth silently got up and got her when she wasn't looking. She toppled over, growing ghastly pale for only a second, then she sat up, rubbing her temples.

"Oh, Nirr...You didn't tell me you had a headache..."

* * *

><p><em>Ohjeez...That turned out awkward. D:<em>


	40. Chapter 39:What the Hey?

_Sorry I haven't updated for a while. I've lost my train of thoughts. D: Well, I'll just do a chapter until I can think of something._

_I'm making this too angsty. D: _

* * *

><p>The fog was immense, and it came out of nowhere. One minute, Nirr was sitting on the ground, next she was somewhere in her mind. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe...It was like she was dead.<p>

_'What's going on here?' _She asked herself, laying on her side, hair all spread out on the ground, cold tickling her limbs. The inside of her mind looked like a dark replica of the temple-castle in Heron-Country. She was in the trone room, the stained glass glittered around her. _'Am I dead?'_

_'Not really, I think I could have put you in limbo.' _Marth came out, looking as solid as ever. _'Sorry?'_

_'You put me in limbo?' _Nirr gritted her teeth, wanting to get up and smack the brains out of him. _'I'm in LIMBO! What the heck does that mean?'_

_'It means that your body is kind of dead...and I'm running everything manually.' _Marth said. '_Since I'm not a god, I can't just leave whenever I like. Either I leave and you take control like 'that', or your body dies for a brief moment and someone revives you.'_

_'Lemme out, alright? I'm not having too much fun here.' _Nirr laughed nervously. '_Well, this really was fun, wooo!' _

_'I can't let you go scott free like that.' _He crossed his arms. '_You've got a lesson to learn.' _He knelt down to her form, his hands were the warm ones, now. She was the cold, dead one. _'Death is fast aproaching. You'd better get a move on.' _He patted her cheek, leaving with a victorious smile. He was almost different now, a darker aura surrounded him. What was this? '_Now, don't die.' _He changed all at once, turning dark, evil.

~x~

"Nirr, are you alright?" Charlene asked, looking at her and pushing up her glasses.

"Oh, yes. I'm just fine." Nirr smiled. "Just a little tired." She looked up at Soren, who was in front. "How far until the manse?"

"We're not far." Soren sighed. "It's going to be quite fun..." He was still sarcastic from that Yune incident not long ago, and not everyone liked this.

A sudden pain hit Nirr in the back of the neck, like a small bite or a pinch. She rubbed the back of her neck, feeling nothing after that.

_'What are you doing?' _Marth asked her, laughing at her attempt.

_'Get out of my body, I don't like this anymore.' _Nirr said, her voice still a little frail.

_"_Nirr, you'r-"

"SHUT UP!" She yelled, turning back to Kaeda. She just stood there, wide eyed, looking at the now almost crying pegasus knight. "My goddess, I'm sorry..."

"What's wrong with you?" Charlene asked, pulling her around, her hand pulled back quickly with a gasp. "You're freezing!"

"Freezing, eh?" Soren came back, book and map under his arm, and picked up one of her hands, which she pulled back. "As cold as the _dead._"

"Oh, you people are quicker than I thought." Nirr's voice took on a different tone, a little darker than normal. "Just for the record, she's just 'trying' this."

"What does that mean?" Soren asked snidely.

"It means, that she allowed me in, and I've got time to spare before her body ends up dying. Or living. Whoever can revive her the fastest." She sighed, looking at her fingernails. "The fun thing is guessing who's controlling."

"Why does it matter?" Yune asked, coming up next to Soren. "I could tell you who you are and properly exorcise your ghostly..." She filtered trough anything, rolling her eyes. "...Highness to the other world. Or Hades. Your choice."

"I'll take my chances when choosing. Maybe I'll vacation here." Nirr clapped, taking up a different stance, a little straighter. Her eye twitched, one eye turned deep blue. "I think I might stay. You know, make a permanent residence."

"That's cruel and unusual." Yune said, scrunching her eyebrows together.

"Oh, this is so weird..." Shinryu frowned.

"You're telling me." Remus said unhappily.

"That's it. You're getting out of here." Yune said, squinting her eyes. She suddenly lunged forward, getting into a hand to hand combat. Nirr made a huge jump, getting high enough to clear Munch the dragon. The large reptile looked back at her, slitted eyes wide. "Get her! Now!"

"You'll have to catch me!" She yelled, running into the brush.

"What the?" Romulus yelled, getting punched off his dragon. "AH!"

"Rom!" Remus yelled, just short of the same fate. "No!" He struck her with his lance, making a wide gash along her shoulder.

"Loki, herd her up. We don't have long." Yune said, the large wolf obeyed, getting her back into the area.

"What do I do?" Ike asked Yune, who had pulled out Megan's bow.

"You try and distract it. That's not a ghost anymore. Those fake...gah, I can't express my hate for them now, can I? Those fake gods manipulated the ghost that was following us so that they could ruin her. Be glad that it wasn't you."

"I am." Ike said, sword magically appearing.

"Come on, make a ring so she doesn't escape!" Yune demanded. Soren threw out an Elwind behind her, the swirling winds knocked her over laughing. Ethan gave a quick thunder, bolting her back up.

"Ow, that tickled!" She laughed sincerely, she meant it.

Yune fired off a couple arrows into the sky, they glittered gold, faling and pinning Nirr down by her shirt. "You're going to Hades, I can tell you that much." Yune growled. "If there's one thing I hate more than terrible beorecs, it's those parasitic evil spirits controlled by fake gods." She straddled Nirr's waist, red-brown eyes filled with anger and wrath. They were so different from Nirr's now bicolor blue eyes.

"Oh what are you going to do? Nirr'll be dead when I'm out of here." The spirit spoke, the foreign voice laughed, rolling its eyes. "You'll only have a little time to revive her. Otherwise, the world won't exist. We'll all be at the mercy of chaos."

"I _AM _Chaos." Yune growled, grabbing Nirr's neck. "Uremoyoik!"

Burning light filled the air, and it was over in just a second...then white.

* * *

><p><em>Oh, this chapter so sucks. Peril needs to strike someone else. Nirr has problems. They're called 'the crappy ideas of the writer'. Oh, and she got a taste of madness again. :| Oh I fail. <em>

_The gibberish that Yune uttered was actually heron. :D Heron speak is just japanese backwards. I actually have the font on my computer, and it's kind of cool. :D _


	41. Chapter 40: Traveling Again

_The 'crap of the world' will stop falling on Nirr's shoulders real soon...like, now._

* * *

><p>Almost everyone awoke to the odd circumstance of sunlight, laying out in the middle of the open field that they had been standing in. Shinryu slept soundly, leaning on Munch and snoring contently. The dragon itself was just waking up as well, snorting out live embers. Megan was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Dante.<p>

"What the...?" Ethan sat up, wincing and looking around. Charlene was laying in the oposite direction by him, making him frown even more. "Oh, this is off."

"...I want pancakes." Charlene muttered, rolling over. Remus and Romulus were in a twin heap, Loki and Sang slept like normal wolves. Most everyone was either sprawled out on the ground and sleeping peacefully, or in Ike's case, peacefully sleeping in some sort of uncomfortable position that was _surely_ not comfortable. Charlene woke up, looking around with her glasses stray on her face. "What happened to everyone...?"

"I accidentally exorcised everyone." Megan came around harboring Yune and Dante followed her. He looked haggard, slouching heavily. "Don't worry, we got almost everyone back."

"What do you mean 'almost' everyone?" Loki sat up, watching Loki stretch.

"Um, what if I told you that I can't find Skid, Laus and..."

"Dear Ashera, please don't say Nirr." Loki said, pointing at the small goddess. He felt some sort of hangover, he could only assume some of the others felt the same way.

"What did I miss?" Nirr sprung up, tired still. He hair was mangled into a rat on the side of her head about a couple inches from the base of her scalp.

"Oh..." Loki sighed deeply. "Then who else?"

"...Blow out the candle, it burns my eyes..." Ike flopped over, making Yune's eyebrows knit together.

"I kind of accidentally exorcised the next manse over." Yune frowned. "We were going there anyway, so..."

"Yune, you're one messed up bird." Nirr pointed dazedly. She held whatever was in her stomach with a hand pressed to her mouth.

"It's not my fault, okay? I'm not in check." Yune crossed her arms, watching the rest of the people wake up. "It's not like they're going to _die _or anything. I mean, I-"

"Who's dying?" Remus yelled.

"I'm not!" Romulus called back.

"I'm bleeding!" Sang announced.

"Shut up." Vill's voice rang mustily through the morning air.

"I'm hungry." Kaeda whined. Her horse did the same, wide pony eyes and all.

"Would you just be quiet!" Yune yelled. That shut everyone up, then she purposely changed the subject matter. "Nirr, you're going to have to cut that rat out."

"Shuddup." Nirr frowned, squinting at her.

* * *

><p>"...Why do I feel hung over?" Nirr slumped along the road, unable for her mind ot take in the fact that one: Laus was passed out, and two: she kind of left her body now. twice.<p>

"It's just a side effect." Yune replied. "It'll wear off when you're totally awake."

"I don't think I am...I see unicorns." Soren looked like he had a headache and a half, rubbing his temples and looking at things in the most upset manor. The caravan was moving slowly, the dragons themselves almost unwilling to move.

"Oh, you do?" Yune frowned, looking at him. "That's lovely. Do you see rainbow butterflies as well?"

"Don't make fun of me." Soren groaned, frowning at her. "I'm not in the mood."

"Like we all aren't?" Vill asked, frowning just as much as the next person. He was stuck with piggybacking Laus around, and Remus had the chance of carrying Skid.

"What's up with Skid?" Nirr asked, looking back.

"He's just tired." Urya was strung out, being hit a little harder than the rest. "He'll be fine..."

"Ah." Nirr nodded. "Kaeda, how are you holding up there?"

"Just fine." She called back, trotting along on her flying horse.

The thick trees were almost closing in on them entirely now, everything was getting dark and slightly menacing.

"You know, I take it back." Ike sighed suddenly, walking next to Nirr.

"Take what back." Nirr asked.

"I said that you were an annoying, ignorant, blubbering, girl with a brain the size of a walnut." Ike said.

"You never said that." Nirr frowned, looking up at him, her brow furrowed. "You never said that at all."

"Oops. I think I thought that instead." Ike frowned back. "Sorry I thought that, then."

"That was kind of uncalled for." She made a weak attempt at punching him, falling short with a feeble meeting of Ike's arm and her fist. "Ah, darn."

"The fun will begin when we get there and get done with searching or whatever," Megan, er, Yune came up next to them riding Loki, who was wide awake. "You'll learn the secrets of those swords you two got."

"Lovely." Nirr sighed. "That's always nice to do.

"Wait, what secrets?" Ike asked, suddenly interested.

"You'll find out." Yune smiled, trotting onward. "You'll find out."

* * *

><p><em>jeez, I haven't updated in days. D: Sorry about that! Writer's block sucks. A lot. Thanks for waiting, though! :D<em>


	42. Chapter 41:Almost there

_Okay, then. I'm updating again, I think after leaving this for a while, I have my ideas renewed. Here's to getting back on the horse even though its flung you many, many yards away. :D_

* * *

><p>It was a funny thing to see. Just the sheer ferocity of the confused and scared brown colored laguz. Sang had burst through the doors, he thought he smelled cat (since he <em>was <em>a dog) and there she stood, frazzled, and wide eyed.

"Oh, that's not a cat." Sang said.

"Wolf." She pointed back, frowning. "I found a wolf. Screw my life."

"I'm here too..." Stella rolled her eyes, looking over the small crowd.

"Oh, hey." Another person came around, face stony and cold. She looked at the crowd, frowning deeply. "We don't want any." She almost shut the door on Sang's nose, when someone yelled.

"We're actually not selling anything." Yune called, her voice chipper and clear. She rode Loki up to the door, where he nudged the door open. "Hello, Tess McGreggor and Ivy."

"She's riding a wolf...and she knows my name." Tess laughed, her expression didn't change much. "Who the heck are you, then?"

"We're the country's rebel army. It's not the best way to phrase it, but it works." Yune guided Loki in, everyone else wanted to follow. "Have you seen any ghosts around?"

"They're everywhere, how do you-" Nirr started, almost running into Tess. She frowned down on her for some reason.

"Details, details..." Yune called.

"There's a slight problem that you're not aware of..." Yune said, looking back at Nirr. "I kind of exorcised everyone, and Laus and Skid haven't come back yet." She said sheepishly, almost running into a pole. "...Megan, you're still blind."

"You did _WHAT?_" Nirr roared. Someone held her back with one arm, Nirr went ballistic, yelling angrily.

"An excorsisim? What went on to make you do that?" Tess asked, looking to the annoyed sage standing in front of her.

"...One of our 'Heroes' got a little 'experimental' with ghosts." Soren sighed. "I wouldn't go much farther than that. Either way, would you like to join our merry little band and take down the kingdom? Since Doomsday is unfolding before our eyes, I'm sure it'll help."

"You're going to refigure that, right?" Ike asked, watching both twins and a sudden Shinryu hold back the angered heroine.

"I've been waiting for this day forever." Soren sighed. "Now that I look at that plan, I frown upon it deeply and think of things to make it more..." He thought for a second, then looked back at Ike. "Sane."

"Sounds like a good plan." He looked at the ongoing struggle, wincing when Nirr threw a punch at Shinryu. "Ooh..."

"You people got a name. or am I going to have to ask the red-haired know-it-all?" Tess asked, hands on her hips.

"I'm Soren, this is Ike, and you can just ask around for names." Soren said. "Is it alright if we stay here for the night?"

"The owner of the place must have fled with the bloodbath that went earlier. All the people are gone, and Ivy and I are all that's left. Feel free to do whatever." She shrugged.

"Thank you."

"You know, you're kind of young. You talk like an old man." Tess said, glancing back at the still ongoing fight. Nirr was being sat on by the tail of Munch, the Twins were standing there looking at her and Shinryu was now getting his jaw looked at by Charlene. Ethan was elsewhere, and Vill was looking for some place to put Nirr's brother.

"I'm just as old as he is." Soren jerked a thumb up at Ike, still there. "It's called being branded."

"Ah." Tess nodded, just doing that instead of talking. "Hey, Ivy. Why don't you help that carrot topped pirate over there. He looks lost. Nah, I'll do it." She speedily walked off, Ivy frowned.

"Well she's upset about something." Ivy sighed, then looked back to Soren. "One thing about going with you to take out the royals."

"And that would be?"

"I don't care much for the wolves, so don't expect me to be all friend-friend with them. I have my reasons, and I'm not going to be lenient about it."

"Done deal." Soren extended a hand, Ivy shook it. Her tan stripes were prominent on her skin, and she was content after that. "I wouldn't expect anyone to be buddy-buddy with Sang, either."

* * *

><p>~Later...<p>

They were sitting outside, the sun was killed off again by the seemingly endless slate colored clouds that hung overhead.

"Okay, lesson one of Yune's sword school." Yune paced around, watching the two annoyed looking, well, annoyed Nirr and normal Ike. "Step one, bring up your sword." Two sets of 'Changs' and Nirr was tapping her blade on the side of her boot.

"You know, I wouldn't mind grilled bird right about now." Nirr said menacingly.

"Not now. Wait until you actually have a god to take it out on." Yune breathed, crossing her arms at them. "Okay, next step. Swing around your sword. Do something."

"Easy enough." Ike said, sending off a wide berth of destruction with his blade. Nirr sent off something like what Mist would with her Florete.

"See anything odd? I think so." Yune said, pointing at Ike. "Yours is too big for that little iron sword-sized beastie. And you..." Yune frowned, looking at the still smoldering line that Nirr left. "You're just...You've got the wrong weapon entirely."

"What?" Nirr whined.

"Envision something that would fit that. It'll help, and you'll be at a better chance of actually causing damage." Yune directed her comment more at Nirr, who just frowned back at her. "Know what? You just think Ragnell. It fits." She shrugged. Yune smiled when the sword flared into something a little more usable for Ike, and frowned at Nirr. "Your turn."

"What do you want _me _to do?" Nirr said indignantly.

"Just don't think for a minute. It'll come to you." Yune looked like she was going to hit her in the head. Nirr went stone-faced, closing her eyes only for a minute, then the unfamiliar 'woosh' of flame brushed over her hand, and instead of a sword handle, she held... a rod? No, looking at it closer, it was a scythe.

"Holy mother of Yune above..." Nirr said, looking up at Yune. "Is this thing jipping me?"

"Nope." Yune said. "Oh, hey." She pointed to the unfamiliar silhouette of an elf leaning on the wall. "There's the original owner of the wepons." Yune smiled warmly. "How are you these days, Damion?"

* * *

><p><em>Yune talks to dead people. How fun. I met my daily quota of two chapters or something. :D Back on track. :D<em>


	43. Chapter 42: It's the Boots, hunh?

_And so it rolls on. Oh, woot._

* * *

><p>"Hey, Dante?" Ranulf was just sitting in one of the overly plush sitting room of the manor, unable to do much anyways. Dante was watching the dragons frolic outside, Shinryu's white hair was the only way he knew them from each other. He looked back at Ranulf, just as Naesala would.<p>

"Hm?" Dante replied.

"How the heck are you dealing with this? I mean, I know you and Megan have a thing going on and..."

"Yeah, how do you do it?" Ethan came out of nowhere, as he usually did. Ranulf just waved him off, unamused by the surprise visit.

"She's still Megan. I do get to be with her at certain points of the day. I'm thinking though...if we're all alive after this, I'm thinking she and I might settle." Dante turned a pinkish hue in the dusky light, Ranulf's mouth almost hung open.

"You're not kidding, are you?" Ethan asked for Ranulf, who looked like he was sporting a surprised smile now.

"I'm not. Why would I? You beorecs are really strange." Dante shrugged. "I offered the idea to Yune, and she told me that Megan would never know. She thinks we're kinda cute."

"She's a goddess. What does she know?" Ethan muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Everything." Yune suddenly stood at the door, wearing an odd expression and a poncho. "Oh, by the way, I found a poncho. I like it. Makes me feel a little more 'me'." She happily skidded off, leaving the three a little confused.

"Now, how do you feel about her riding on the back of a giant wolf?" Ranulf asked.

"I'll answer that with a question: How do you feel being with Stella and knowing that Luna is waiting at home for your head?" Dante said.

"...I see your point. It's a little unnerving." Ranulf shivered. "She and I..." He fiddled with a leather bound trinket that she had given him, the little red gem hung idly. "Who says cats and dogs can't get along, right?"

"Your children are going to look so weird." Ethan shook his head with a face of odd discomfort.

"So they'll look like you?" Dante smiled, laughing a little at his own joke. Ranulf burst out laughing, Ethan just stared at them menacingly.

"Ah, HAH, Ha...Th-That was good!" Ranulf guffawed, looking over at Dante. "Oh, you know, you're not bad, kid!"

"Thank you." Dante grinned. There was a sudden shadow flung over the window, and then a flying Nirr appeared as well. She fell back down, an annoyed yell came from her.

"GOSH DARN IT! THROW ME RIGHT!" She yelled.

"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO THROW YOU RIGHT IF-!" Ike retorted, suddenly walking off. "FORGET IT!"

"Looks like they're having fun." Dante noted. "You think she's ever going to get it? She's not shifting her weight right, so she's going at the wrong angle."

The room was quiet again, and then came the awaited response from Ethan.

"You're a bird. You would know that." Ethan sighed.

"What?" Dante frowned a little.

* * *

><p>"I seriously think you're doing it wrong." Kaeda offered, watching Nirr pace around and swing her arms around. She had picked up some long riding gloves somewhere since Yune said she should since she would be swinging around a long scythe around. "You're going in at the wrong angle..."<p>

"Shut up." Nirr frowned. "It's his fault. He doesn't throw straight."

"It's not my fault! Good greif, when will you get that through your thick skull?" Ike growled, crossing his arms and sitting on an old stump. One of the veins was pulsing in his forehead now, and if he looked like Greil, now was the time. His hair was thick with sweat and it was brushed back in the same manor as his father. "You are going at an obscure angle because your boots are throwing you off."

"It's not the boots." Nirr threw her arms up in desperation, deciding on taking them off. "Okay then." She said, pulling them off and standing in her socks. "Let's try it again, shall we?"

"Why not. Maybe seeing is believing for you." He got up again, watching her take a few wide steps back. "You ready?" She stopped, nodding a little and bringing out her weapon. The silver glinted in the late orange sun, and with her hair tucked up, she almost looked mismatched.

"Let's go." Vill clapped, leaning up against Munch while Shinryu scratched the dragon's belly.

"Shut up." Nirr frowned. She started running towards him, bare feet on the ground and the grass in her toes. The blade trailed behind her and and she finally met Ike's hand, and then he thrusted her upward and then to Nirr's amazement, she landed right where she wanted to. On top of the manor. She looked down, Ike was crossing his arms again and tapping his foot.

"Anything you wanna say?" Ike called up.

"Get me down. I wanna do it again." Nirr said, oblivious to the apology she owed him.

"You're hopeless." Ike frowned, holding his arms out and walking away. "Totally hopeless."

Everyone just walked off, Vill stayed long enough to laugh and jam his hands in his pockets. "You, Nirr, are _screwed._"

Nirr yelled for everyone to come back, but she was ignored until the sun had set. Then, Romulus decided it would be nice to just pick her up and get her off the roof. Instead, she pushed him off his dragon and got herself down.

* * *

><p>~Charlene<p>

"Hey, how's the two doing?" Urya popped in, seeing Charlene asleep hunched over on the end of the bed. She woke up shortly after Urya said something, tears in her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Fine." Charlene wiped her eyes and picked up her staff. "They're fine. Skid woke up not too long ago, and Laus..."

"He still hasn't come around, has he?" Urya seemed genuinely upset, but she couldn't be taken seriously with all the marble dust on her shoulders. "From what Yune said, he's only got so long..."

"He's a good kid, too...Nirr would just split in two." Charlene sighed, looking at the sleeping pair. Skid was rolled over on his side, wearing his undershirt comfortably and then Laus lay face up and motionless to all. He looked dead, just as anyone would in that kind of state. "Yune said she accidentally got everyone into this mess. Did she and Dante get everyone back to normal, or did it just count the people outside?"

"I don't know. You'd have to ask her for yourself. She's pretty busy..." Urya frowned. "I'll watch them for a while. You get some sleep."

"Oh, and that Tess girl..." Charlene snapped her fingers, remembering something as she got up. "She wanted me to tell you 'Take it easy on the statues'." She shrugged heading for the door. "Dunno what it means to you, but yeah."

"Never." Urya laughed with a crazed glint in her eye.

* * *

><p><em>Oh, the statue craze will never end! Ike is really starting to shape up like his dad...Not like he wasn't in RD, I mean...Anywho. It was the boots. heavy boots throw you off. Take that one, Nirr! :D<em>


	44. Chapter 43: Truths

_Keeping on with the program...I push things from one person to the next. Oh, boy. My weekend will be filled. :D Oh, and a quick note on Munch. He reminds me of Toothless from how to train your dragon. Beware, the booze was coming, and I like a good drunk chapter every once in a while in my readings. :)_

* * *

><p>"Tess, are you sure you're okay? You've been acting off lately." Ivy lay sprawled out in the sun early next morning, yet wary about the wolves. She eyed the halls attentively, looking for anything like Sang.<p>

"Yeah. Fine." She picked a splinter out of the wooden floors, snapping the thin piece of wood. "You know if we're leaving today?"

"Mm-Hmm." Ivy rolled over, exposing her belly. "It'll be fun to see what's going on with them."

"Sure." Tess sighed.

"You really need to stop being so serious." Ivy said bluntly. "It'll give you wrinkles...Wait, you are a little younger than sixteen, right?"

"Let's go get going. I need to get my horse saddled up..." Tess sighed, getting up. "You should get your stuff ready, too."

* * *

><p>~Traveling (again)<p>

It was easy to tell that everyone was some sort of perturbed. Skid was limping around in the back talking to Vill and Ethan, who were taking sips out of an inconspicuous silver flask, Charlene was out of character, sporting a deeply tired look. She and others were pretty out of it, some hearing the noises of the manor and seeing the ghosts wander around, it was really creepy and hard to sleep at night because of it.

Nirr was thinking of the conversation Yune, she and Ike had with this 'Damion' character who came out of nowhere the night before. He looked like he would if he were normally alive, since he was the kind of elf that looked ghostly.

'_I've seen him around. He can't find himself, and he's scared enough that he won't listen to anyone.'_

Either way, Nirr just about had enough of this ghost stuff. And the annoying thing with the dark 'whatevers' and all the things that were annoying. Damion wasn't so much 'annoying' as 'helpful', and from what he said, he was kind of trying to help them out. Whatever it was, he was tagging along now, appearing and reappearing among the trees and such. With Laus slung on her back, she tried not to think of him as 'dead', maybe just sleeping? It was hard to convince herself when he was as cold as the dead himself.

"Is everyone doing fine back there?" Ike called, looking back at the end of the caravan, Tess was taking a quick sip from the silver flask, and everyone except Vill was visibly teetering. "What is this?"

"It's _hic _just a morning pick me up. _hic." _Skid said, almost leaning into Tess, who handed the flask back. "It's perfectly fine."

"That has a bite to it." Tess coughed after taking a rather large gulp and looking at Vill. "How long has that been in there?"

"A year at least of aging. It's good stuff. All the way from Port Arkana." Vill smiled to himself. "Lovely town. I like it."

"Because there's ladies, gambling and lots and lots of booze." Ethan grinned. "Been there, seen that."

"You've really been down there?" Shinryu asked, swooping down with Munch. "After this is all over, We're going to have to go down there, old buddy." Munch grunted a response, the dragon rider grinned.

"You know...you know what?" Tess hiccuped, her horse paying no mind to her as she swayed drunkly. "I think that this is all fu-funny." She grinned. "That's good. Gimme some of that." She almost fell off her horse if it weren't for Ivy puling her back on from the other side. Ranulf eyed the flask until Stella elbowed him in the gut, telling him to not even think about it.

"That's it. Pass it up here." Soren called, frowning at the impetuous behaviors. Vill rolled his eyes, saying something in the Port Arkana lingo. He did so, but there were a couple sips stolen on the way up by Charlene and a sneaky Urya to name a few. Nirr just passed it along, Ike took a quick sip, coughing a little as he gave it to Soren. Soren shook it and frowned at Ike, sticking it in his sleeve. "They'll get it back later."

Later in the day, Skid did though catch Soren take a swig from the now community bottle, grimacing and coughing a little. Damion also confirmed this, shaking his head when Ike asked about it.

"Why didn't you share with me though?" Yune asked, riding on Loki's shoulders for a change. Dante was hop-flying behind, smiling a little.

"You don't need it. Anyway, wouldn't Megan get drunk instead?" Soren asked, not even bothering to look back.

"Details, love." She laughed, smiling to herself. "Megan says she wouldn't mind some, though."

"No." Soren replied quickly. "We've already got a few drunkards back there. We don't need more."

The walking arguments went on from there until Remus spotted the small fort that stood in the forest. The walls were stil intact, the glass untouched by the years.

"That's it. Fort Lancelot." Yune said, climbing down from Loki's shoulders. "We'll set up here for the night if that satisfies everyone. The royal capitol isn't far from here, so we'll be fine. If all goes well, we'll make the attack in a couple days, right?"

"That was the plan. I'm revising. Soon." Soren frowned deeply, the sip of booze was clouding his mind. "I might want to lie down for a while, though."

There was a unanimous chorus of 'YES.' from everyone, and a loud chortle from Tess.

As they came closer, Ike was amused by the similarities in the structure. Low walls, a possible lower level, and the overall similarity to his home. "This looks like the fort at home."

"It's older, believe me. It's just a coincidence. The architecture in the town is very much different from ours, so this couldn't be anything like Tellius." Soren said, heading in first through the wooden door. "Oh, the filth." He muttered.

The area was cleaned in a matter of minutes, the hearth in the living area was lit and Tess was sitting on the ragged looking rug sleeping off what she had called 'a friendly sip'. Ike had checked there before he lit the flame, nothing there. He couldn't pull up the stones, but in the kitchen...there was a large misfit piece of slate jammed into the floor of the hearth, sticking up at a slight angle.

"What are you doing?" Soren asked, rubbing his eye. He was still a little out of it.

"I'm just looking for something." Ike said, pulling up the flat rock, digging down in what looked like years of ashes and looked conderned when he found a good sized locked chest. Soren looked befuddled as well, seeing the grey dusty chest.

"There's not a lock on it." Soren said, squatting down next to him and watching him brush off the dust. "Are you going to open it?"

"Don't rush me." Ike said, looking over at the sage. Looking back to the chest, he slowly opened the lid, finding...documents. All were untouched, along with the ripped piece of canvas that was rolled to fit into the box. Ike picked up the rough fabric, holding it up and unrolling it. It was an old oil painting, a family of five stood, four unfamiliar, and one...a familiar faced child who looked like he was on the brink of his teens. Holding a sword in hand, Ike almost fell over.

"Who is _that__?_" Soren asked, squinting at the portrait.

"I have no clue." Ike said breathlessly. "This doesn't make any sense!"

"My grandfather was born here, lived in Daein." Greil's ghost was leaning on the counter, looking at the two. "It's just a tie back here. I thought you'd like to know." And with that, he disappeared again.

Soren just sat there with his mouth gaping, eyes wide.

"Well, that's interesting." Ike sighed, poking through the rest of the items.

* * *

><p><em>Okay, okay, this is getting off topic. Like I said, the booze chapter. We all had it coming. :DD<em>


	45. Chapter 44: History?

_It was after I wrote this, I realized that this was horribly written and is confusing. So, I re-updated. Explanation at the bottom._

* * *

><p>The thoughts spun in his mind. His father was originally from this country? Oh, just the letters, the thoughts, the scenes...what was going on here? Soren's mind fried at the thought of this, and he went off again.<p>

"You're connected to everything, it seems." Soren muttered, walking away. Some of the letters were too smudged to see the letters, most of them were in the old language. They were written in a dainty font, all the letters written as if they were masterpieces. One letter took his attention for the longest time, he took in the details.

_'Dear Arthur,_

_I'm advising you to leave now. It's only a matter of time before you and your family are taken apart by the cruel kingdom due to your beliefs. There are people like you across the ocean, since that is your best bet. As a part of Nethanial's cabinet, I can only give you a small sum to start your life over. I'm sorry it had to come to this, Arthur. I pray Evangeline and the children will start out well. You are lucky to have wife as understanding as her. So willing to leave Terrasancta on these conditions... _

_As I am aiding you with your escape, I may not live to see the next sunrise. Please, I beg you. Do not come back for me. The goddess has told me that you have life in the other country, not here. Head down to Port Canavral, I have a boat waiting for you. Sailis is captaining the ship, and he knows the of situation. I am sad to see a knight such as yourself leave. I am sure though, this will be better. For all of us._

_As advisor to Asheruna, I bade you farewell for the last time._

_-Pallas__'_

"...So they just left." Ike muttered, glancing at a family tree. He could have added to the tree, but only on his father's side. His father's side was filled in, Arthur seemed to be Gawain's grandfather, Markus looked to be the father. Sifting through the other items, there was a small item, faded bronze in color, and it held a pattern similar to the medallion that held Yune for so long. It was a cape pin, he suddenly realized there was a dimly lit red crystal in the middle. Farther in was a small amount of official papers, concluding that the lineage was through a wide line of lords, royal knights and nobles. They had left all of this in the heat of a religious murder-fest, to live a normal life and start another life. "I can't believe this." Ike ran a hand up his forehead, leaving a grey streak of ash running into his hair. "I have too many ties to count..."

He thought back to home for only a minute, thinking about Mist. What about her? She was probably thinking about little tykes and babies, the thought turned to a slightly disturbing vision of little 'Boyds' running around. What about the children of his own? They'd be a little farther down the line of Arthur, and here, Greilson would start.

"Well, you're up late." Nirr slunk out of the hallway, looking down at Ike sitting on the floor with the yellowed papers spread around him. "It's a few hours after sundown."

"So it is." Ike said, shuffling the pages back into their place, tucking the old portrait into the chest. He rubbed at the unknown ash markings and smeared the soot all over. "I was meaning to ask when we got here, but is Laus..."

"He's still not back." Nirr said, looking downward. "I'm worried. What if he dies? What do I do?" She started pacing, trying to make sense of her own words. "I'm not ready to bury the last person of my family. He's all I got left. I don't wanna be alone, I really think he-"

"Calm down, alright?" Ike got up, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Nirr, he'll come back when he gets things sorted out."

"You say it like he's figuring out if he's going to stay with a woman or something!" Nirr swatted his hand away, unconcerned about anyone else hearing her yelling. "I don't know where the heck he is, what he's doing, or what he got himself into. How would you feel if Mist were in this situation? HM?"

"That's different." Ike said lowly.

"How is it? She's your sister and you're telling me that if she was in a near death state, that's different from Laus and I?" Nirr spat. "You'd be falling to bits and pieces if this would be happening to you."

"Stop arguing, would you? Even the ghosts have to sleep once in a while." Damion faded in from out of nowhere, rubbing his eyes. The red streaks still trailing down his cheeks after death.

"You shut up." Nirr said, angrily pointing a finger at him. "I will not have your ghoulishness sidetrack my anger at him."

"You're aimless." Ike sighed irritably. "He will be fine."

"Even with limited time, spirits know how long their limits are. From what I can tell..." Damion stopped in mid sentence, glancing out the window. He disappeared, nobody knowing where he went to.

"Where the heck did he go?" Nirr asked, eyebrows furrowed in agitation. "Who stops in mid sentence like that?"

"Apparently he does." Ike retorted. "We're all tired. Why don't you get some sleep or something?"

"Why don't you mind your own business?" She said, putting her hands on her hips.

"You know, I'm sure that Lillia would be better with this situation than you. You're running yourself ragged over him." Ike mentioned.

"Don't mention her in this. I'm me, she's her, and that's what spurred the hawks." Nirr said. "Now _they're_ all freaked out about the doomsday prophecy that they're not doing anything."

"You know what? I'm about this close to shutting you up." Ike frowned.

"I thought I taught you better than that." Greil showed up again, startling Ike and making Nirr jump.

"I didn't mean it..." Ike groaned, turning around and facing the ghost. He had his arms crossed, looking expectantly at Ike. "Okay, maybe I did a little."

"Ike, you've got soot on your head." Greil sighed.

"I like your dad." Nirr said with a smirk. "He knows how to be nice, unlike you."

"I'm not mean, I'm just blunt." Ike muttered, rubbing the soot away. "Why are you back again?"

"Checking on you. I felt like I was leaving you with too a cryptic message. Knowing you, you'd take it wrongly and be confused."

"Father, I'm not foolish enough to think that..." He trailed off, seeing the sideways look that he did so well. "Could you maybe elaborate for me?"

"That's more like it." Greil said sternly. "To put it shortly, your great-grandfather was a noble here. Sir Arthur. He was supposed to take the throne, but the emergence of the gods was happening again, and people such as themselves were being snuffed out like candles. So, they fled, and saved some lives."

"You're saying that he's up for the throne?" Nirr asked, pointing at Ike.

"Hah, no. That kingdom died as soon as they left. You've got history here. I'm hoping you'll make some, too." Greil said, jerking a thumb up.

Ike looked at Nirr, then back at Greil with a face of disgust. "Wait, you mean history as in what's in the books, right?" Ike said, his voice cracked.

"Depends on what you mean by 'books'." Greil crossed his arms and shrugged.

"I'm sorry, Mister Griel-sir, but your son is too much of a meathead to pique my interests." Nirr said, smiling a little. "He's not even that nice to me."

"That's because you're a royal pain." Ike retorted back at him.

"Oh, I see how it is." Greil nodded mockingly. "You _are_ a little bit of a pain."

"What?" Nirr almost yelled. "That's not fair." She elbowed Ike for snickering, realizing that the spectre was gone. "There will _not _be history between you and me." Nirr stomped off, heading to bed.

* * *

><p><em>Ah, so that's how it goes. Oh, I'm surprised that I didn't put Ethan in here to explain 'History'. Greil's family is confusing thought.<em>

_So, Ike's Great-Grandfather is Arthur, and Markus is the grandfather. :) Okay?_


	46. Chapter 45: Laus

_My previously written chapters have been revised. I moved it back a generation. That seems a little more right-er than rain, right? (ah, my poor grammar) I'm still toying with Laus. I don't know why..._

* * *

><p>The morning brought a wide sweeping of irritability, headache, arguments and just overall hangover. Soren, being a smaller person, couldn't shake this. He sat at the table with the map spread out around him, a cup of some sort of brew in front of him.<p>

"Okay, here it is...Half the night's oil and a headache." Soren said, looking around at the people gathered there. "We're nixing the attack on the kingdom, everyone's freaked out as it is. Instead, we'll stay a couple extra days and get a better grip on what we're going to be doing, recon, getting everyone into a better state..." Soren phrased it so that Nirr wouldn't blow up at him, but then there was the odd glare that she did. "...And then eventually get to there." He pointed at the small town that held the world's problems. "We're not far from there, and it should be efficient. Time will only tell if this will work."

"I'm sure that the biggest problem here is the fact that one of our thieves is inactive. I'd say he's only got a day or so until he..." Yune said, looking at Nirr. She knew. She figured that out when Yune told her this morning. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying, and she gave slight sniffs as she tried to keep herself together.

"He'll be back." Nirr frowned, hopping a little to keep herself from choking up. "He'll be fine."

Urya patted her shoulder, sympathize for her. "Is that it for the briefing?" She asked, blinking sleep out of her eyes.

"Yeah. That's all I got." Soren sighed. "This is my morning..." he picked up the earthen mug that sat on the table, taking a sip and sighing. "The kettle's on the hearth...take your fill."

"Gladly." Skid and Ethan were upon the kettle like a bunch of crazed laguz. Ranulf's tail flicked, and for once, he was glad he wasn't in on this crazy plot.

"You idiots..." Stella sighed.

"Don't yell...my head's killing me." Charlene grumbled. "Anyone seen Vill or Shinryu? I wanna give the carrot topped pirate a piece of my mind."

"And the dragon rider?" Ivy asked, confused. She glanced back at Tess, who was still asleep. How she managed to lay with her knees under her chest, arms at her sides and looking like she was doing a knee-bow was beyond them. She snored contently, forehead on the ground.

"He's my back up." Charlene sighed, glancing at the sleeping rider as well. "She's dealing with all of this well."

"Tess, breakfast." Ivy said, making Tess spring up and sit on her knees.

"Woah, what?" Tess jerked up, getting a sudden head rush. She quickly put her hands to her aching head, taking in a sharp breath. "Never, ever, ever, ever, ever drinking again." She said quickly. "Oh..."

"I'm going back to the room..." Nirr said quietly, slipping away in the mess later called the 'Brew Brawl' by some of the guys. The musty warm air was almost thick with her hope that Laus could have woken up by now, but when she went down the hall and opened the door, her spirits fell. Laus was still senseless, not moving an inch since they came in the night before. He was almost as pale as the sheets on the bed, his piny hair didn't help. Nirr sighed, striding across the floor and sat on the bed like she would when they were in the Wastes. Through all of this, it seemed like so long ago. Things kept coming up, people came, events happened...it was all confusing. "I wish you'd just wake up." She said, looking up. "Right now, but...you're freaked out, I'm confused, we're all hung over...you should have seen them yesterday..." She trailed off in her thoughts, looking over at Laus again. Did she just see a faint movement? Or was...was that just him? "Where are you?"

* * *

><p>~Laus<p>

The wind was so cold. It blew right through him, and almost made him fall over. Everything was so menacing, so dark. Where the heck was he. Unable to stop, he kept tromping on, looking for something familiar. His scarf fluttered behind him, still moving when he paused to breathe.

"H-Hey!" He called. "Anyone! Anyone there? Someone! Answer me!" Laus finally stopped, kneeling down into a small lump. His breathing was ragged, and he couldn't feel anything. He remembered the bright light that engulfed everything, and the whole feeling of being gone. It scared him so much...and that's when he started running. Who knew how far he had gone?

The trees around her were pale colored, as if everything was just the opposite color. The sky was dark as well, and the pale birch trees were black and a bloody color. The dying grass was the same, looking like someone had taken a paintbrush over it. This dark world was like a nightmare.

_'Where are you?' _

The words suddenly echoed in his head, a pounding pain in his chest emerged. Grasping for something to stop the pain, he almost fell over, seeing an odd scene. Nirr was right in front of him, sitting on a cot of some sort, hands folded on her lap.

"N-Nirr! Ah!" The pain deepened, and his breath left him. Laus stumbled forward, realizing...he didn't have much time left. The thought rebounded in his mind, suddenly all he had forgotten in the heat of the moment hit him. He tried moving, but that proved difficult. His short figure clamored and quaked, everything went from feeling light to like a bunch of rocks. "No...Let me go...back..."

_'Come on, I really want you back...Laus...'_

__"I'm _right here!_" Laus yelled, trying to get her attention. Nothing happened, she just got up, ending the vision. "Dont' go! Please, don't go!" He just lay there on his stomach, trying to move. When nothing happened, he just stopped. It set in his mind, nothing could stop that. "I'm going to die...this is the end, isn't it?" He grabbed a handful of the red grass, watching it fly away as he opened his hand.

"There you are." A lone figure appeared out of nowhere, kneeling down next to him. He was paler than the moon it seemed, and he smiled...why? It just made the tear streaks that ran red down his face look creepier. The pitch black hair made him look like he fit in here. "You've been causing a ruckus with the world of the living. You shattered a couple glasses, made a couple things move..."

"What a-are you talking a-about?" Laus said, his speech was fading like the rest of him. Fingers turning translucent in the tips, bits of his face were fading as well.

"I'll tell you when you're alive." He sighed, picking him up gingerly. He folded over like a ragdoll, unable to move. "You're a tough one, Laus. I'm lucky I found you." Started walking with him in his arms, like he was nothing. "I'll have you back to them in no time..."

_'Thank Ashera...' _Laus sighed with a thin voice and tried to focus with his blurring vision.

"Hold on there..."

* * *

><p><em>Oh, Laus. I'm cutting it close, aren't I? I'm too fond of little Sothe doppelganger to kill him off so cruelly...<em>


	47. Chapter 46: Onward from Fear

_Okay, Okay...I think I got this...I'm going to try this again, and make sure that Nirr isn't being sue-ish...I'll tone her down a little, and make sure this isn't awkward. Okay, here we go._

* * *

><p>Nirr had fallen asleep on the far end of the bed, somehow kneeling on the floor and bent over the mattress. Yune had come in and checked on Laus, Nirr didn't stir. She had kind of forgiven the small bird goddess, but was a little territorial with her family. Skid, Urya, Megan...even Charlene and Ethan, no matter how odd they could be. Vill...he was just something else. No matter, she didn't want anyone hurt.<p>

"Oh, you poor humans..." Yune sighed, looking at the ceiling. "Your care for each other makes me sick sometimes..." She winced, twitching a little. "...eh..." She turned around, seeing Damion. "Oh hello, you." She smiled warmly. "What are you up to again?"

Damion shrugged, smiling at his goddess. "I found Laus the other day. He was on his last legs." Damion sighed. "He was in the realm that the faux gods usually dwell in."

"Why was he there?" Yune frowned, eyebrows furrowed. "Not many people can get in there...did I exorcise him too hard or something?"

"...Some can find their way in there and not be able to get out. We're just lucky something didn't eat him." Damion said. "He should be waking up soon."

"Miss Finicky should be pleased. She's really changed because of her almost loss." Yune said. "Maybe I should do that more often."

"Um, I wouldn't." Damion warned. "It could go downhill."

"Eh, you're right." Yune left the room, humming to herself. Damion left as well, smiling as the small thief finally moved. He was safe. Finally.

* * *

><p>"I don't get it." Tess groaned, wincing still at the lights. "How...how did you get me into that flask again?"<p>

"You got into it yourself." Ethan said, playing poker with Vill. The pirate smiled to himself, looking at Tess.

"Oh, by the way, I think you're branded. You look like you're sixteen still." Vill said.

"S-she's branded?" Kaeda asked, looking at Tess with fearful eyes. Even though she had been around Branded people for a long time, she was still believing the propaganda spread around the capitol. "Oh...~"

"I'm fine." Tess barked at Kaeda. "I'm just another person." She stormed off, almost bumping into Skid, who was confused.

"What's her problem?" He asked the group.

"She's just...she..." Urya tried to explain, but Vill got to it.

"She found out she's branded." Vill said, putting down a card. "I do say, but you're out of your money again." Vill smiled, scooping up some coins.

"Ah, darn." Ethan sighed, rolling his eyes. "I gotta learn how to play poker better."

"That you do." Vill said, picking up the cards. "You wanna play another round?"

"Yes." Ethan siad. He put down another handfull of coins, looking at the pirate. "What's so bad about being Branded to her?"

"It's...It's complicated, Ethan. If you were Branded, you would know." Urya said. "Think of it this way. You have a lovely life, and then suddenly, you can't have that life because you're Branded. There. It's simple."

"Ah." Vill said. "Nice way to put it."

"Where did Ike go, by the way, I haven't seen him all morning." Kaeda said.

"He just said he was going out." Urya said. "I'm surprised Soren didn't go with him. He slept in today."

"That's not odd at all..." Skid said. "Did you hear, Laus is back, too."

"Nirr's probably bouncing off the walls..." Vill played with Ethan, who was thinking he would win this time.

* * *

><p>~Ike<p>

The air had chilled significantly over the days they had traveled, winter suddenly blew in the air, whispering its hello to the people. Ike had noticed that the evils of the world seemed to like winter for trying to take out the world. It was a depressing thing, and he walked through the woods in silence.

"I see you're back out in the wild again..." Loki came out of the trees, smiling a little. "Too cooped up in the fort?"

"Yeah, I just needed a breath outside." Ike nodded, looking at the wolf king. "What of you? I haven't seen you since we've gotten here."

"I've been out, looking, I went back and checked on my pack, actually. Stella went home as well." Loki said, leaning on the tree. "Luna's a wreck. All this stress on the world has put strain on her, and she found out she had a stillborn. She as hoping for a small pup, but..."

Ike shook his head, looking up at the grey sky behind the scraggly leaf-bare trees. "I'm sorry for her loss..."

"Life comes and goes..." Loki said. "We can only hope for things we want and get what we need." He paused, looking up at Ike. "...I may only be a wolf, but I know your mind is elsewhere. Is something bothering you?"

"No..." Ike said quickly, taking in a breath. "I'm just thinking."

"Ah, I'll just leave you then." Loki sighed, nodding a goodbye before shifting and trotting off.

Ike went on, looking among the trees. He thought back to the days before war didn't concern him. When things were simple, and when Ike and Mist was little enough to be carried with one arm. The days of childish splendor, and 'sword fighting' with the skinned branches of trees. But, the simplicity of it all melted away, and it came to mercenary work. He grew with the 'family', becoming a little less of a child, more of a man. But this...where was he going with _this? _Fighting in a country that wasn't his. What was the point again? Saving the world for a second time?

"...I don't know what I'm doing..." Ike muttered to himself, running his hand through his hair. "Why did I even come here?"

Adventure? A change in pace? Maybe a way to get away. It was all fine and well until some sort of revelation came along and snagged the plot of things. Would he make it out of the country alive? What was going to happen? What would these gods do when they would attack and make things better? Would they make things better? What if...what if this were all just a lost cause? Ike groaned and leaned on a tree, trying to think. His mind was clouded, and things weren't flowing straight. Squatting down and holding his head in his hands, he sat there for what seemed like the longest time. His fingers had gone numb with the cold, and he couldn't feel his toes. It finally struck him that he wasn't unsure about this, but he was _afraid_.

Years of being fearless, going through fights and battles without the _slightest _bit of fear, capping it all away through the thought of being strong for the people he knew. For Mist, for his Father, for...his family. But now, all he had was Soren and Ranulf, and the people who were helping with the effort. It was almost paralyzing to think...taking on superior beings with no reassurance that they would all come out alive.

'_Don'r fret, Ike. You'll be fine...' _A familiar voice whispered to him. He took no mind of it, looking around with a confused expression. He finally saw the source of the voice, a pale figure hidden among the trees. Hair as blue as the ocean, and in a moment she was gone, an odd spectre that came and went like the wind.

* * *

><p><em>Okay, Let's see...We'll get good with this. I haven't mentioned Nirr much, and I do believe that she has calmed down a little more. I really like writing with Ike. There's a side on fanfiction that he has.. :3 Oh...<em>


	48. Chapter 47: Things Unexplained?

_More stuff...It's back again~_

_I rewrote some of the chapters, updated, and such, but i'll get back to it. Re-read if you must!_

* * *

><p>To say the least, Nirr was ecstatic that Laus was back. When Damion said that Yune had brought him back, the small goddess had gotten a giant hug and a shoulder-full of happy tears.<p>

"I'm sorry I was ever mean to you...It's...I.." Nirr had blubbered. Yune had no clue how to deal with that, and was confused as to what to do. She just tried to keep breathing and make sure that she didn't die from her grip.

"Just...don't think much about it. It's what us goddesses do..." Yune said shakily. "Can you please just let me go?"

"I-I'm sorry..." She gasped, looking at her with teary eyes still.

"He'll be fine in a day. You'll all get your 'happy ending', and I'm sure you can tell Ike about that fluffy feeling you get..." Yune rambled off, looking at Nirr with a shocked expression. "Oops."

"W-What?" Nirr asked, wiping her eyes. "'Fluffy', you say?" She grinned widely, that expression of anger at the goddess came back. "Oh, I see..."

"I-I didn't mean to say it! I'm sorry!" Yune said, looking desperately around. "Look, I only know that because he's the same way! I mean, it's fluffy like the 'I care, you're in my family' type deal!" She looked at Nirr, who wasn't believing it. "I screwed up again..." She hung her head, waiting for some sort of comeback from Nirr.

"..I'm not getting mad..." Nirr said, walking off. Yune looked up, expecting some sort of calm person...and seeing Nirr tromp off to let her anger out elsewhere.

"She hasn't changed, has she...?" Yune asked herself.

"It seems not." Damion sighed, sitting on the bed in Laus' room.

Laus was still asleep, laying on his side and totally unaware of the situation that just happened. At least she was happy that he was alive, and grateful enough to not bludgeon Yune's face in.

"You've really got to stop egging her on like that. She's got Ike pinned as a 'brother'. It's not like that one raven king in your country."

"You know about that?" Yune asked.

"Of course. I'm dead. I read into it." Damion shrugged.

* * *

><p>Nirr paced outside, Shinryu looked as he fed Munch. "You're sure you're fine?"<p>

"I'm ticked off! I'm grateful only _once _and she goes and blows it up in my face. I don't like Ike." She said, holding her arms in the cold weather. "OH, she burns me up..."

"Well, maybe that's her way of saying 'I care'. She's a goddess. She's got to be a little awkward." Shinryu said, rubbing his dragon's muzzle. The two twin dragons Remus and Romulus had were trying to get Shinryu's attention as well. They were like puppies, just playing and romping, knocking down the occasional tree. "Any idea on when we're going into the capitol?"

"Not a clue." Nirr growled. "...Look, there's the annoying bird now."

"Look, I'm sorry, but let's get this straight." Yune said from the kitchen window. "I'm just getting my people skills worked out here." She said. "I'm not all social and happy like you."

"Who said I was happy?" Nirr asked. Shinryu watched the small scale war go on between them. "No, I'm actually royally ticked. Sure, I'm happy I got my almost doomed brother back, but there's a limit on my happiness. Know what? I'm actually a little bit scared here. We've got to take on evils of the stupid world, and I'm not quite sure I can do this!"

"You're all the same. Be like Erika or Micaiah for once." Yune sighed. "They were in a similar position as you, and they turned out fine for once. You're just being kind of...let's see here...annoying? Maybe a little conceded. It's not all about you!"

"I know!" Nirr yelled, stomping off to the tree line. "I'm going to go think!"

"You think she'll be back?" Shinryu asked.

"YES!" She called from the fores.

"Why cant' she be happy for once?" Yune asked shaking her head.

"Maybe...she might be mad because you're right about something. I think girls do that..." Shinryu said, scratching behind Munch's ears.

"Are you some sort of genius, Shinryu?" Yune asked flatly, pulling her head back inside.

"I'd like to think I am." He sighed, checking his dragon's teeth. "I just hope she wasn't being sarcastic..."

* * *

><p>"I'd love to hit er, but no. No, no no. She got Laus back. I don't want to do that...I am being conceded..." Nirr mused to herself, trotting along. "I need to stop for a moment..." She did so, almost falling into a close by creek. "That would have been a nasty fall.."<p>

"No kidding."

She spun around, face set to a sudden scowl. "Oh, hi there." She sighed. "What, are you pondering what you're going to do to annoy me, too?"

"Yune out to get you again?" Ike asked, crossing his arms. He looked...different. It was odd.

"Of course. Meh, I'm not sure. Laus is okay though...That's...that's great." She looked down, rubbing her arms. "Oh...yeah. I think I'm done with my musings, and I might head back...tootles." She turned, hearing a slight laugh from Ike. "What?"

"Nothing. I just noticed...you're redder than a beet." Ike snickered.

"I'm cold, idiot." Nirr said defensively. "What about you? You're smiling. You look ridiculous."

"So?" Ike asked, watching her get redder. "My, my...you just turned a couple shades."

"S-shut up!" She frowned, suddenly sneezing. "Gah..." Nirr muttered, realizing that the 'fuzzy' thing that Yune was hinting at was true. "...she was right.."

"Right about what?" He asked.

"I'm 'fuzzy' all over..." Nirr sighed. "I'm twitterpated, lovestruck, whatever..." She looked up at Ike, face still red, pointing at him. "Don't think into it, bub." She stomped off, probably going to clobber Yune or something.

"That's odd." Ike muttered.

* * *

><p><em>and so it rolls the same way. It's a crush, but still...oh...but what girl wouldnt' kind of like Ike, right? I defend my purpose!<em>


	49. Chapter 48: Heading to the Deathtrap

_Okay, so I was bored and thought to myself, 'Nira (my name at that one forum) you should update SoD.' and so I did. :P Oh, and a belated/early birthday notice to Skid's creator. :D_

_Oh and hey hey! Your reviews made me just think about what I was doing. Nobody upsetted the author, i'm a writer and I'm pretty much trying to be utterly mature about this. You guys are making me better at this, and i thank all of you! :D Author's notes will be at the end, so you can see what went through my mind, character ideas, and why I called Nirr 'Nirr'. See you all at the end, then! :D_

* * *

><p>First Attack: Teaming up<p>

"Okay, we're going in today." Yune said, making an anxious glance over everyone. "So, as soon as we're ready to go, we'll head up to the capitol again and then get everyone. I won't be able to go in with you, and these aren't 'Godly Beings', but evils of the world...So I won't have to take the effort to bless your weapons..." Yune sighed. "It'll be all better when everything gets done, cause Meg is really wanting to hug Dante right now, and I'm not letting her, so she's getting ticked off." Yune's eye twitched, and her mouth did the same, twitching into a smile.

"Nice." Dante smiled fondly, shrugging a little.

"At least she's not punching you in the face." Vill shrugged. "Had a girl do that to me because I..."

"YOU DON'T NEED TO TELL!" Charlene burst out, her face red. "I mean, I punched you for a good reason."

"You're just creepy." Ethan glanced at Charlene.

"Only cause you're out of your league. You just lost." Charlene smiled.

"I didn't know being lewd was a competition." Ethan replied.

"It is now, bub." Vill said, taking a sip out of the notorious flask.

"That's creepy." Ethan frowned.

"Oh, and Laus is back, that's a plus. And congrats to Nirr for liking one of the people in the company." Yune blurted.

"Thanks..." Nirr flushed red with embarrassment, looking over at Ike. He looked away, rubbing his nose or something while Yune droned on...Was he blushing?

"...And with that, I leave you all to get ready to go. We'll head out when the sun is its highest. Don't worry, I know there's clouds. I'll tell you all when." She smiled.

* * *

><p>"Gad, now I have so much more to worry about..." Nirr frowned, getting into her clothes. A normal red tank top and a shoulder plate that she found somewhere, and lighter boots so that nothing would hinder her. "Laus, how do you do it?"<p>

"Do what?" Laus asked, pulling up and down his scarf. He definitely looked like Sothe now.

"Handle life in general? How do you do it?" Nirr asked, stepping out of her room. It was almost time to go, and things were going oddly. Ike wouldn't talk to her at all, and...everyone was oddly somber. It was as if they were expecting to go to the gallows or something.

"I take it day by day with a grain of salt." Laus said. "Well, that's what Lillia would say. She wasn't my mom, but I saw her once or twice just hanging around."

"You have?" Nirr asked.

"Yeah. Either that or some other nutty heron." Laus said, waving it off. "If it makes you feel better about all of this, I promise not to die."

"You'd better not." Nirr said flatly. "I'd probably die with you."

"Nah, you're fine."

"Hey, time to go, Nirr." Sang knocked on the door, looking in at them. "You ready too, Laus?"

"Yeah. I just need to help her into her 'big girl' pants." Laus chortled, looking at Nirr, who glared at him. "...Or maybe she has them and she just cares too much?"

"Darn skippy." Nirr frowned, leaving the room. "Let's go."

"Mood swing much?" Sang mouthed.

Laus nodded. "She gets like that." He mouthed back.

* * *

><p>"We'll get going rather quickly, and then we'll decide where to go from there. Well, you will, cause I won't be here." Yune sighed, riding on Loki again. He loped in wolf form, almost smiling. Megan was beginning to look tired of Yune being in control, darkened circles ringed her eyes, and her eye constantly twitched now. Dante accepted this, still helping Yune when she was in and out of things.<p>

"You keep on mentioning that like you're excited or something." Tess noted. "Are you?" She rode next to Kaeda, who was grounded for now. The elven dragon knight and Shinryu acted as spotters today, and even the dragons seemed to know what was going to go on today.

"I am. I get to see you from afar, see you all do your duties and follow." Yune smiled, looking back at everyone. "Oh, I make such beautiful things...I must remind myself to give some of you kids."

"What?" Ranulf asked, one of his bicolor eyes twitched. "Children? As a reward."

"Women like this gift better than men." Yune shrugged, Megan's eye twitched more. "...Nope, sorry Megan."

"What'd she say?" Dante asked, flitting up next to her.

"Oh, she was wondering if I could see up farther down the road. Maybe I'll give her some vision. I can do that, you know." Yune sighed. "I'm getting tired. It's taking a lot out of me to be even this close to the tower."

"We're only three miles from the town, and you're fighting to stay?" Loki asked.

"Yep. All because some thought that false gods would be fun." She replied, laying forward on him. "...I've forgotten what wolf fur feels like...I think..." She leaned down farther, falling asleep.

"Is...Is she okay?" Nirr asked, Laus with a puzzled expression beside her.

"Just sleeping, child." Loki said. He had mellowed from the young looking and rebellious wolf king he had started as. Did...did the threat of the world ending really change one that much, or was that just war in general? "Megan should be back in a few minutes, and Yune will be gone for now. Once we're in the city, they will do anything to make you leave. Beware, everyone."

"Thanks for that." Ike nodded. As they walked along, things became more and more odd. The ghosts that had wandered the areas were now gone, the trees turned contorted by a strange force. "Does this include madness?"

"Probably." Loki huffed, sneezing a little. "It's nothing like the madness of the Goddess. Tis a thing more feared. It is like wandering in the darkness, seeing the opposite of yourself, then having your soul ripped from your being...replaced by your darkness, or so I've heard."

"You've heard a lot then, haven't you there wolf?" Vill called, trotting along with Charlene.

"I've heard my share." The wolf panted. "It's kind of a trait of mine. I pick up things."

"So it seems that way." Laus muttered softly. Skid was close by, he and many others seemed to be perturbed by the tasks ahead. Laus looked over at him, arching his eyebrows. "Oh, and I almost forgot. It may be a bad time to mention it, but happy birthday Master Skid."

He looked puzzled at first, then laughed a little. "Thanks, kid." Skid ruffled his hair, smiling.

* * *

><p>~The Tower<p>

The dark copper outline of the building was almost menacing, a darkened glow shone from the structure, and life around it was gone. Nothing stirred at all. They all stood around, a small rebellious group against the dark ones.

"We're going to need two groups." Soren said, looking to Ike and Nirr. We'll split the flying units fairly, and Nirr, since you're supposed to be a 'Queen', you'll be able to take the staves, right?"

"I guess." Nirr shrugged. "What about Laus?"

"I'll be fine, you don't need to worry." The small pine-haired boy looked up at her. "You do this all the time, and it's kind of...weird."

"Nirr, he'll be fine. I taught him well enough." Skid sighed, looking lazily at her.

"Sang will stay with Loki, Ranulf, if you're more comfortable with Ike, stay with him, otherwise you can go with Nirr and the others," Soren instructed. "I'm staying with Ike, which is no surprise there. We'll keep Urya with her main group, Shinryu, Vill, Kaeda, Ivy and Tess, you're with us. You get both the dragon twins, Nirr."

"You act like..."

"We're items." Remus and Romulus finished each others sentences, making Soren glare at them.

"They'll probably treat you like items as well." Soren said sternly. "Are we ready to go in or do we need to make preparations?"

"I need a couple minutes." Nirr said, most the color gone from her face. She quickly clasped a hand to her mouth and stumbled off, taking Vill's flask as well. He held it out to her, looking in the opposite direction.

"Drinking helps with things like this..." He muttered.

"...I'm going to...just...prepare." Ike stepped off, looking out of character from the stone face expression he usually wore. He went down one of the close by alleys, Nirr was hunched over with her hands on her knees, holding the flask strap in her hand, the silver container rested on her boot. Whatever she had down was threataning to come back up: a _great_ way to start the end of the world. "Are you alright?"

"...Just fine, Ike. We don't need to churn up anything here, 'Mister Hero Man'." Nirr said with a groan. "I think...I think I'll survive. I think."

"Nice way of thinking, Nirr." He rolled his eyes, leaning against the wall of one of the now abandoned shoppes.

"Why are you here?" Nirr asked him, resting her hand on the wall, trying to regain her vigor. "Come on, you trailed me to the alley."

"I did not." Ike spat back, frowning to the normal scowl. "I just need to think." He said sternly.

"Sure, sure." She sighed, posing herself back upward and taking a sip of the flask. She grimaced, shaking her head. Her normal bandana was tucked in her belt, and she looked as if she hadn't slept in days...was that what this was doing to everyone? She looked at him, holding it out to him. "Want some?"

"I'll pass." He replied, waving it off.

"Suit yourself." Nirr sighed, looking at him. Either the booze or other things made her face red, and she turned to Ike with a stern face. "You know, you're a likeable person, but to know that you're a traveler kind of makes me think that you're gonna leave again. Before you say anything, I know that the girl in the fairytales always falls in some sort of mad love with the hero, but...I've got to say this once at least, to your rocky face: I kind of like you, and I'm sure you're just going to walk off with some sort of weirded out feeling. Now, I'm going to take out some fake gods with my holy weapon of doom, are you coming or not?"

Ike just looked at her for a second, an eyebrow arched. "That has to be the best and worst confession, motivator and speech I have ever heard." He shook his head slowly. "But, since it's you, it works. We'll just see how this all pans out, shall we?"

"What is that supposed to be? A cryptic sort of agreement?" Nirr asked, screwing the lid back on the flask. Ike just walked off cooly, Nirr followed, confused. "Tell me, gosh darn it!"

And so the teams were picked, all of which were ready for the worst. With Yune unable to guide them, they walked in blind, splitting up between the both of them, the battle for the life of the world began...

* * *

><p><em>I'll leave you all on a cliffhanger, cause I'm sort on time. Okay, Nirr...Nirr...she's kind of being bullheaded and 'sue-ish'. It will stop. As the Hero, Ike needs some sort of fangirl to cling to his boots and lick the ground he steps on. Come on.<em>


	50. Chapter 50: Battling the Odds

_So, they're in...they're getting ready, and there's going to be some blood...Oh jeez, I hope I don't get writer's block. D: Aaaaah!_

_...Any nameable monsters anyone wants to add for this? Come on, I have 'Hell hounds' from Sacred Stones (I like those. They're so fluffy!) and then _

* * *

><p>~Ike's Team<p>

"We chose the right path..." Soren said, scrawling things down in his book. He frowned at the interior, the copper, teak and stone structure was kind of like walking in unwanted territory, the evil seemed to seep out of the walls. "...Nirr took the left fork."

"At least there's not any stairs." Ranulf trotted around, looking upward. He looked like a normal cat would if a dog came around...or Sang. It was normal for one to feel the hair on the back of the neck stand up, but for Ranulf, this was kind of new. "What do you think we're going to face here?"

"I have no clue." Ike sighed, leading the way. "...I would think the Deciples of Order would come around, but it's not Tellius here..."

"Lovely thought, isn't it?" Soren asked, looking back. "How's everyone doing back there?"

"Just fine." Shinryu called. "Kaeda's kind of freaked out, but fine."

"Dude, she fell off her flying fleabag and started rocking in the fetal position." Charlene said. "I don't think she's okay."

"She's got a point." Vill called up, looking a little on the nervous side...if pirates do look nervous. "Ivy's looking like a cotton ball."

"I don't know what's the problem! Ranulf's the same way!" Ivy said to him, a little annoyed.

They went on, just talking down the endless hallway. It was only a matter of time before there was another fork, and Soren frowned.

"Didn't we already see something like this?" Tess asked, walking on foot for a while to relieve the horse. It snorted on her, showering the rider in a little bit of snot. She muttered a little, looking at the chestnut colored horse in disgust.

"No. The structure's different, and there's a definite change in detail. We're deeper in the tower." Soren said, pointing it all out.

"How does that work?" Ivy asked.

"We're not going up. We've been on a slight downward slope." Soren said, smirking a little in his diplomacy. "If I were to sit a marble on the floor, it would roll."

"So, left or right?" Ranulf asked.

"We go..." Soren stopped, watching the right door disappear. "...Left."

"That's nice. I wonder who's going to get where faster." Ike sighed. In the back of his mind he was trying to think of how this was different from the home experience. No stairs for one. There wouldn't be Dheginsea waiting behind one of the doors, there wouldn't be Sephrian either, nor the shock of the goddess reviving herself. Micaiah wouldn't be there to help out in the end, and things...things would be a learning experience...There wouldn't be Zelgius here either. Where was he, anyway? He hadn't seen him as a ghost, but... Pushing the thought out of his mind, he went on, finally seeing a hugely ornate door in their path.

"Are we going in?" Ike asked Soren.

"Yep." Soren said, looking at the door as well.

"This will be different."

"Definitely." He nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>~Nirr's team<p>

"We're already lost!" Remus growled.

"Yeah! You took the left fork when we should have went right!" Romulus said.

"Shuddup!" Nirr said, pointing to the twins. "How could we possibly get lost in here?"

"We just did." The twins both said.

"Just...let me think." She waved them off, walking onward. "It's bad enough we're probably going to take on some monster."

"Don't jinx it..." Sang said, loping around in a half shifted form. They had been walking for a while now, and already they had lost Ethan somewhere. How he could be lost in a huge tower, it eluded some.

"Since when did you care about jinxing?" Laus asked.

"Since we got here." Sang said quickly. "This place gives me the creeps."

"You're not the only one..." Ethan came out of nowhere, freaking Sang out. He jumped up almost five feet, tail tucked between his hindquarters. Urya looked back with a furrowed brow, frowning.

"Don't do that, Ethan. I would think that you would be a little more mature than that." Urya said, gripping her ax a little harder.

"Sorry..." He said, rubbing the back of his neck a little. He looked to Sang, who looked like he was going to bite him. "I said I was sorry."

"Yeah, but you still made me piddle." Sang said, walking onward. They came to another fork, Nirr sighed, looking to everyone ele. "Wat now?"

"I have a solution..." Skid said, holding a finger up. "We go left."

"Why?" Nirr asked, looking at the assassin oddly.

"It just seems like the better choice? I don't know. I was just guessing around." Skid sighed. They went left, cold air poured into their faces in reply.

"What's going on now?" Nirr asked herself, shielding her eyes from the wind. Pummeling on, they eventually came to the fated door, Nirr just stared. "Oh Holy Asheruna." She muttered, looking back at everyone. "Any last requests? A final meal?"

"That's depressing." Laus said to her, frowning deeply for a kid his age.

"I'm nervous. I don't know what we're going against." She replied grouchily. "So what, do we just pummel in and cause distruction or come in and hope for an attack?"

"I say we just barge in." Urya said, eyeing a sudden statue that she didn't notice. She was in no mood to crush it, though. "I'm not the strategist, but it sounds right."

"Alright, I'll hit the doors, and we'll all go in on three...One...two...th-" She tried to hit the doors, but she just stumbled inward as they opened slowly with a creak. Falling on her face, she groaned, everyone followed. There was a huge open area, large pillars lined the wall, and at the top of a set of stairs, there was a door: the way out of the room.

"It's an open area...We're gonna get attacked..." Sang said softly, frowning in the doggish way.

"_You are correct_." A voice echoed in the room, the doors shut behind them, and then she appeared. Her greenish hair hung behind her, elven ears pointed outward. She wore what was loosely described as a toga, carrying a moon shaped staff. Adorned with crystal orbs and brooches made of the same, she would have been beautiful, if not for the ember-colored eyes. "_Insignificant beings. Thinking you could come in as you please. I think I should teach you a trifle._"

"...Well, this should be fun." Urya said, looking at her oddly. "So it's just her?"

"Don't-" Nirr said, looking back at her, the room went dark for a moment, and many undead and Hell Hounds appeared. "Great." She muttered, looking back and summoning her weapon.

"_So you challenge me...I, Circe, accept the challenge, you small, annoying pests._" Circe smiled cruelly, raising her staff.

"Oh sh...SCATTER!" Someone yelled, just as the first attack was let off. She gave off a large set of Balberith, only hitting a couple of her own units. She didn't really care, she only wanted them gone.

"Someone, hit her!" Nirr yelled, glancing at Ethan. "Cast you fool, cast!" While working at the hellish beasts that came at them, Circe went on, attacking ferociously.

"_Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, killing you is a certain must._" Circe chanted, smiling like a madwoman.

"Am I the only one who finds this creepy?" Laus asked, bumping into Urya, who just cut down an undead.

"Not in the slightest." Urya groaned, swinging back at another one and throwing the tomahawk at another who dragged himself around. Laus was throwing knives, trying not to get swamped. Nirr and the Twins were helping each other out, swooping down to get the ones less fortunate, clearing them out long enough to get around.

"Shoot, I wonder what they're going through!" Nirr said, slicing around, throwing a clear attack at Circe. She massively retaliated, Nirr was spared, thanks to quick thinking from Romulus.

* * *

><p>~Ike's<p>

"This is bad..." Ranulf said, looking into the dark room, since he was the only one who could really see in the dark. "I can't see."

"None of us can." Vill said, running into Shinryu...or was that Munch? "Did I run into your dragon's a-"

"Shut up!" Tess said, hitting someone.

"OW! Why'd you hit me?" Kaeda whined.

"Oh, I did? Sorry!"

"Stop hitting people!" Ike commanded. Suddenly the torches in the room were lit, blinding everyone. When the light dimmed, a single laguz girl stood in the middle of the room. She had about the same stature as Lyre, dark black hair hung in her face, and the black markings running up and down her legs made her laguz. Soren was utterly stupefied by this.

"She's not laguz...she's not..." He muttered, furrowing his brows. "...Zunuma..."

"What?" Ike asked, watching as she proceeded to pop her neck and other joints with sickening noise.

"She's not laguz. She's _Zunuma._" Soren spat, watching as she started out.

"_Hello, people. How are you all doing? This one hopes you didn't find her home too confusing. This one likes visitors. They taste good._" She said, picking her nails. "_This one__ doesn't really want to play around, if that's okay. Largo likes to fight though."_

"Wait, I was expecting a man..." Shinryu said, cocking his head to the side a little.

"Largo is a bit of a girl's name here." Charlene said, looking over at Shinryu and pushing up her glasses.

"Should have known." The dragon rider said.

"Guys! She's coming!" Soren warned, readying himself.

Largo transformed, giving an ear shattering roar and transforming into something that looked unlike any laguz they had ever seen. Dark as night, it was like a wolf had children with a hawk. It growled, exposing a white row of teeth.

"_Now, Largo will have a good time taking you all apart..._"

"Not if we can help it..." Ike said, thinking of what to do.

"Evade as much as you can. Try for indirect attacks, and if you have any problem, just call someone." Soren said, thinking out a plan as well. "Try for the head or the wings."

"_I will crush you all..._"

* * *

><p><em>I don't even know. I'll get to the battles tomorrow. I got a bit of Nirr's in...and it's not going anywhere. D: I SERIOUSLY hope I don't get writer's block.<em>


	51. Chapter 51: The Shade

_I can only hope I get this right..._

* * *

><p>~Nirr<p>

"Where did she go?" Nirr yelled, the room had suddenly become dark, and Circe was gone, leaving them with the undead. Everyone was seriously tired, and at least one had a little bit of zombie poisoning. She was pacing around while Laus was picking the lock (for experience) and Skid was supervising. Megan had been the one to be a little poisoned, but a quick fix from Nirr was just what she needed. "I'm already tired of this."

"You think we're all happy about it?" Urya asked, looking at Nirr with an arched eyebrow.

"...No." Nirr muttered, looking at her boots. "I'm sure you're all kind of ticked...or something."

"Or something..." Skid laughed nervously. "I almost got my head taken off by a gargoyle."

"...I had fun watching that..." Ethan muttered, nursing a wide gash on his arm. "The gargoyle I saw actually got to me."

The group was extremely tired even after this small of a brawl. Dante was flitting around, trying to get a kink out of his wing. What happened was that he probably broke it, and was neglecting it. He stayed close to Megan, who was still woozy as well.

"Laus, you got that almost done?" Nirr asked, looking at him picking the lock.

"Yeah, I got it..." Laus said, holding pins and such in his mouth. "It's a three barrel lock system, and I'm pretty sure I'm not going to see this for another year or fifteen..."

"It's that new?" Skid asked, looking up at him. "Well, I'll be. I'll have to pick a lock sooner or later."

The door finally opened, the dark corridor was musty and smelled of rotting flesh. Urya, one of the strongest stomachs of the group almost vomited, holding a hand to her mouth and closing off her nose.

"I'm okay..." She muttered, wincing. Ethan just looked at the dark hallway with an uneasy expression, eyebrows uncharacteristically arched and furrowed.

"Good greif...that's one foul hallway..." He said, frowning even more.

"No kidding..." Nirr gagged, almost losing her lunch. "Let's go..."

The group took a couple steps, then down the hall, someone called, desperate and in obvious pain...

"HELP!"

Nirr's shoulders tensed, and she stopped for a second, then the call came again. She looked back at them all, frowning. "Do you hear this?" She asked, jerking a finger at the end of the hall.

"Sounds like Baccus to me." Megan sighed, leaning on Dante, who was undisturbed by the smell of carrion. (he was caught drooling, actually.)

"If that's his sorry butt at the end of the hall, I'm going to..." She muttered, walking on. The yelling continued as the crowd still went as if nothing was wrong, but then it came...

"_Someone help me!" _

Nirr stopped, looking back at everyone again. "I swear to Ashera that wasn't me."

"_It hurts! Someone help!"_

"...Yeah, that's kind of fake." Remus said to Romulus. "Come on, this is getting old..."

"It's not real to us because we've got the finicky and kind of irritable person in front of us...but what about the people who aren't here?" Sang asked, ears pressed to his head.

"Oh crap." Nirr said, frowning deeply. "I can only assume that they're okay right now. They're toying with us, and it's not gonna be pretty in the end..." She said, jogging forward. "Come on, guys."

"Oh, they're gonna be in for it now..." Urya said, holding in her lunch as she trotted along with Megan. She stopped for a second, swinging her axe at a statue and smiling a little as she went onward.

* * *

><p>~Ike's Team<p>

"Seriously! What caused him to get his garments in a bunch! I didn't hear a thing, and he just muttered something and ran off!" Vill said, taking sips of the concoction that he always carried. Everyone was ruffled about fighting the Laguz Goddess, er, Anti-God. And when she disappeared, leaving a crapload of monsters, it was even more annoying.

"I think he heard someone in the hallway or something. Sometimes living with him is like living with one of those little shaky dogs that you people have here." Ranulf said, out of Laguz form for a while. "I didn't know that he could run like Tormod in a moment's notice like that..."

"You'd be surprised, Ranulf." Soren panted, holding his robes up and running behind. Tess picked him up, galloping onward. They all came to an empty room, Ike was annoyed for being duped by...something.

"Well well, your sense of hearing must be shot..." Charlene muttered, hopping off of Munch, leaving a somewhat red-faced Shinryu. Loki stopped, quirking his ears.

"No...there's something here..." Loki said in a low growling tone. His hackles were raised, and he looked to the ceiling. "It's a Shade."

"A what?" Ike asked, looking at the wolf king.

"Shade. They take the form of someone, and lure them to their deaths. They only come out when they're employed, or they sense strong connections...they live on the dying breaths of people." Soren said, poking around in his book that he was constantly writing in. "We gotta find that thing. Fast."

Nirr came in from the other room, her eyes wide. "Thank the Goddesses that you're all alive..."

Another scattering of people burst in, another Nirr spear-heading it.

"What the..." She said, looking over at the duplicate. The form suddenly changed, a tall, thin and quite ugly thing sprung up with sharp teeth, missing eyes, it clung to the ceiling, the torches burned blue.

"Watch out!" Charlene yelled, shooting off some light magic at it. The Shade hissed, heading to the ground with blinding speed, and swiped at Skid. He jumped back, almost running into someone. In a moment's notice, it was bouncing off the walls, taking cheap shots.

"Ethan, fry that thing!" Someone yelled.

"Way ahead of you!" He groaned, building a humongous charge of Thoron. "_AAAAUGGH!" _It hit the shade hundreds of times, enough to make it evaporate. Ethan was hunched over, breathing heavily, blood dripping from his nose. "I think...I might..." He fell over, Charlene worried, trotting over to him tiredly.

"Oh jeez..." Ike muttered, holding a bloody hand to his neck. "Everyone else fine on my team?"

A unanimous chorus of 'Yeah', 'Sure', 'I'm bleeding but fine' and a 'I'm freakin hungry' came about, they were all fine. Nirr did a check, a wide scratch was on her forehead, angling up to her hairline. Everyone was some sort of battered, but okay for the most part.

"We should stay a little bit to get Ethan and everyone back. "Nirr said, looking to Soren for approval.

"I can agree with that...Ike, you're bleeding on the floor." He muttered.

"It's not that deep, Soren." Ike said, looking down at his tactician. "I'll be fine."

"Charlene's busy. Let me do that." Nirr said, hitting his hand with her staff. He moved his hand, frowning at her as she just glared back and healed the wound. In mere seconds, the bleeding had stopped, and it was all a matter of Ike not losing anymore blood. "You light-headed or anything."

"Does a headache from you count?" Ike asked, acting distant.

"Hardy har." Nirr said, shaking her head, hitting him in the head with the staff. "_Oops_. Charlene, do you need any help over there?" Nirr asked, walking off. Ike shook his head, looking back down at Soren and Ranulf. The blue cat man was bandaging up his tail, that had gotten a nice number on it. Soren was looking at his almost shredded outer coat.

"...When this is all over, I think I'm going to need a boat out of here. Let's go back and discover the rest of Hatari."

"Ike, you just want to get away from Nirr, don't you?" Ranulf asked, focusing his bicolor eyes on the bandage.

"If I say yes, will something smite me?"

"Maybe." Soren muttered, displeased.

"Okay, maybe I do. But I think I've got Aecorlitus under a pret-ty good tab." Ike said, running a hand through his hair.

"Anyone got a spare vulnerary?" Charlene called.

"...I just want to get this done..." Ike muttered, shaking his head. _'...And leave Nirr here...'_ He thought in the back of his mind.

* * *

><p><em>Haven't updated in forever. Someone! Give me a response! D:<em>

_Btw, Ethan was pretty good here...I think Shades are pretty creepy. Just slim venom down a little, take off the eyes, and then so many other creepy growth and claws. :D Cree-Peey._


	52. Chapter 52: The Madness

_Bah! I'm sorry about the fight scene. Bleh, I was being lazy again, and it wasn't working, and it was in the middle of the afternoon and...Oh, I'm just making excuses now. _

_Kudos to Everyone surviving! Minor scrapes and bruises, and well, maybe not _everyone _will survive these next fights. Fuu, fuu, fuu. X3_

_Just a random disclaimer. *points to Soren* Hit it!_

_Soren: I'm hacking glad she doesn't own Fire Emblem, otherwise, I'd be with Mia. Back in Tellius._

_Me: Darn skippy you would._

* * *

><p>The whole group was back together, and some were better off than others. Ike dragged himself along with Tess and the heavier units, being the dragon riders and Loki. Everyone was doing well, even Ethan.<p>

"Goddess...I swear, that wore me out..." He muttered, lening on Vill. Not because he wanted to, but because he gave Vill a sandwich and he was preoccupied at the moment, and didn't really care. "You're all lucky."

"Yes, we know you nailed the shade. I could have too, in a less tiring fashion." Soren said, trotting along by Urya and Megan. He had hair cut out in chunks, and looked like his loose gathering of hair was significantly thinner. "All that boasting will go to your head, Ethan."

"...Didn't one of your friends do that, Ike? He was such a meat-head." Nirr called over her shoulder. She was playing 'annoying and somewhat irritated', and that's what started it all.

"Not now, Nirr." Ike groaned. We're in a battleground and you want to start a fight?"

"Sure. Why not. It'll give more rage for normal fighting." Nirr shot back.

"Oh dear..." Charlene rolled her eyes, looking at Kaeda. "This'll be good."

"Rage and anger never did anything good." Ike said. "With your stinking luck, we're probably going to get bludgened to death with our own furies."

"Oh, are we now?" Nirr asked.

"Nirr?" Ethan said, frowning deeply.

"What?"

"Shut the heck up." He replied, standing up straight and walking along.

She just glared back, shrugging. "Fine then. We'll just talk later."

"If there is a later..." Shinryu sighed, leading Munch on. "Hey Remus? Are you aware your dragon's a girl?"

"WHAT?" Remus groaned, looking at his dragon. "That's so not fair! I was told she was a he!"

"Ha ha, you got the girl dragon!" Romulus laughed.

"I found out when Munch tried to court her. You Munch could be a stud after all of this? He's pretty manly." Shinryu said quickly.

"...Shinryu, I don't want to talk about it." Remus sighed. "I really don't."

One could obviously tell that Remus' dragon was thinking '_Sexist little ingrate...' _by the way that it swished its long reptilian tail. But, then again, nobody cared, since they were in enemy domain, and they came upon another chamber.

"Did anyone deal significant damage to Circe in my group?" Nirr asked, brows furrowed in the normal inquisitive fashion.

"I threw knives...and missed about sixty per cent of the time." Skid shrugged. I remember she sent one back flying at me with a quick flex of her arm."

"Sweet." Vill nodded. "We're fighting a muscle-squeezing, knife rejecting woman. I think that's just _wonderful._" Kaeda made a slight wimper, Ivy just rolled her eyes.

"We don't need sarcasm now, Vill." The tan laguz said, brushing her hair back.

"As one of the better spear-heads of this group, I'll ask everyone if they're alright, do you need anything and Ranulf, will you stop picking your nose?" Nirr asked, shrugging and

"I got gravel stuck in it..." He muttered, picking out a pebble that had _somehow _(nobody knows _how_) and throwing to the side.

"If nobody's gonna say anything I suggest we just all go." She sighed, looking at the slightly hopeful faces in the end of the hall in front of the door. "Anyone wanna help me with the do-"

The door creaked open, Ike decided to make a wise crack.

"Well, I guess nobody needs to help you." Ike smiked.

"Eh, heh heh, shuddup." Nirr growled. "Let's go..."

* * *

><p>~Elsewhere<p>

"They're making good progress..." A darker figure mused to itself, playing with at least three or four crystal balls, moving them with swift movements of his fingers. He knew that the aftermath of the Godly Weapons had devastated Circe and Largo, their wounds burned them from the inside out and they ceased to exist after that. With them gone, his empire was crumbling, things becoming lighter. Much lighter. "I'll love to fight the duo of Ashera..." He muttered, stopping his hand for a moment and watching them move onward. "How about some insanity for you? Hm? That would be nice..." He mused more, the dark receding enough for his face to appear. His sharp features were rounded by his green chaos filled eyes, dark brown hair swept back with a few fly-aways falling in his face. He had a charming and strong build, and to top it all off, he wore an extravagant silver and crimson coat, the spidery and frost-like designs made their ways around the cuffs and the unbuttoned sides of the front. "Hmm..." He sighed nonchalantly. "This will pan out well, right? I'll still be able to spawn faith in my followers..." He caught a glance of Ike, still walking slower than usual. "Oh, we have one of her chosen injured? Hm, why don't we play with him. That shall be fun."

He poked around with his crystal orbs, smiling wryly as he did so. His expression changed from wry to mischievous, changing the will of the hero. "Let's see how your counterpart deals with this..."

* * *

><p>~Ike, Nirr and the rest<p>

"It's so dark in here..." Laus said, bumping into Skid on multiple occasions.

"Kid, stop stepping on my feet." Dante said, wings flitting annoyedly.

"I was stepping on you?" Charlene asked. "If I would have known that, I would have done other things in the dark."

"_Oh yeah._" Ethan called in a lower voice. Megan burst out in laughter.

"What the heck was that?" She chortled, bumping into a dragon, making it growl.

"STOP LAUGHING." Nirr barked, annoyed. "Soren, gimme some light."

"And let there be light..." Soren said, brows furrowing in some sort of upset manor. "Ike...? What the heck are you doing?"

"Hm?" He looked up, shaken away from some sort of scary expression he was making. "Oh, n-nothing." He said, mouth twitching into some sort of twisted smile from his normal scowl. "J-Just thinking..."

"Good greif, you're really creeping me out." Nirr shook her head.

"You sure your head is on straight?" Ranulf asked him, concerned.

"I'm not sure anymore..." He said, letting off a bone chilling laugh. It echoed in the dome shaped room, and combat was suddenly made. Madness had crept into his mind, like the medallion's influence on the Mad King and his own father. Instead of the result of killing everything in sight like Gawain, Ike's mind was warped, berserk, and almost lost. He made some gawky and untrained movements. His swings were wild, and irked everyone. They scattered, trying not to have to attack back.

"What the heck are you doing?" Nirr yelled at him, blocking one of his attacks with his scythe. She looked at him, seeing if he was really there. He was there alright, like normal. He shoved her away, hitting the ground hard. "What the-?"

"Oh, I think it would be fun to see you die, Nirr. Just like the many times you didn't...you know..." Ike chortled, stepping close.

"Someone do something!" Nirr yelled, scooting away. "He's gonna skin me alive, here!"

"That would be fun...so much fun..." He said, the room growing dark again.

* * *

><p><em>I had to. I drove Ike mad. Come on, Gawain got the pleasure of going crazy, why wouldn't he? I've got to shorten this up, so I'm just going to kill off two gods and move some domains around and boom. You'll get the end and the authors notes here soon. :D So. Much. Crazy. :D<em>

_You also got a good look at Ezel. If anyone's seen the movie 'Labyrinth', you'll know what I mean by crystal orbs. David Bowie, FTW. XD_


	53. Chapter 53: Galdr

_Ah, let's get on with this. _

_Thanks to those for reading the other Fic of mine with Ike in it. I have so many 'adventure theories', so after this, you'll get another one. :D _

_Is it weird that I see Ike more so in PoR mode when he's crazy? I'll try to get this done well! X3_

* * *

><p>Everything about Ike was a lurching skeleton, the gawky and wide movements were like the ones of the undead that Circe had summoned. Cold laughter came from the warrrior, and somehow he negated their attacks.<p>

"He's got pavise down to a science." Skid said, bumping into Vill and spurting a curse as the pirate swung from his Storm Sword. He had done well as to stay away from Ike, unlike some of the others that had. Rom's dragon had been grazed on the right leg, Remus and Shinryu, along with the aid of Kaeda had evaded some of the attacks, but some had gotten the supposed 'blunt' end of the sword. He was still a crazy mess, and it was terrifying.

He had enough mind left to know that he was focusing on Nirr, and she tried to not hurt him. Soren was trying to keep some light in the area. evading the attacks of the crazy man.

"Ethan, can you manage a fire tome?" Soren called, trying to keep the small flame aloft. Laus and Skid were throwing knives, but to no avail and it was the same with Megan. Urya was sure that she would take his head off if she was unlucky. She only evaded his attacks whenever they came. Eveyone else was taking short little shots, Kaeda with her spear, and Tess darted in and out with Ranulf and Ivy for the small 'taps' as she said, since they weren't able to get into head-to-head combat. Sang wove himself in as well, barking and growling. Loki was the unit swiping people out of range when they needed, helping out a whole lot. "I really need your help here..." He groaned, holding up his wrist with his other hand, the book under his arm, thrown gently to Ethan as the flame blew out.

"I think I can." Ethan said, catching a tome thrown over by Soren. He took it, glanced at the first line, and threw forward a fireball. Ike recoiled by throwing a mid-air attack, going back to Nirr, who was blocking his attacks with the shaft of her scythe.

"That's fire!" She yelled, brows knitted together.

"NO DIP!" Charlene yelled back, healing Rom's dragon up quickly.

"Why can't I scalp you? Please? You have such _pretty hair!_" Ike laughed, almost to the point of incoherency, all the while giving fierce blows to the midshaft. _CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG... _He gave an underhand swing, catching her off guard. Nirr skidded back on her heels, a gasp escaping her as she hit against one of the stone pillars that circled the room. She hid behind one, Ike's sword hit against the marble, shards flew, along with the dust that came with it, and in a mad dash, she was off.

"Okay, he's really, really out of it." Nirr muttered to herself, her hair falling out of the bandana as it fell to the floor. Her heart was racing as she ran off, Ike following in his crooked gait. She glanced back, just as he threw out an attack. It hit her hard, sending her sprawling into Sang, who gave a surprised yip...wait, where was Loki? He had just gotten someone out of range, it was just Charlene, who was getting help to Megan.

"What the hey are you doing? You're gonna get us killed!" Sang barked at her. "You nutty heron-kids!"

_Herons. _Herons had Galdr. Galdr did things. Many things. But...

Ike pummeled on, hitting some of the pillars as he went on, taking his sweet time.

"I'm half heron, what's that gonna do for us?" Nirr barked back, throwing out an attack just as he got in range. She ran forward with Sang, who had his tail between his legs.

"I don't know!" He muttered something about a 'rematch', but when it came to this, this was like a distorted rematch retribution of sorts.

"Galdr something, Nirr. You know anything of the Galdr of Rebirth?" Soren called, taking turns with Ethan dispersing the dark shadows.

"What?" She yelled back, frowning as she almost got clipped. They were running out of time and space, and the attacks that missed were taking out the walls. As they spoke, everything was going to waste. "I can't do that!" The room suddenly became quiet, the maniacal sounds from the swordsman stopped, as did Nirr. "Where..."

The answer came quickly in the form of someone grabbing the back of her hair, and giving an enormous throw. She crashed into Loki, who stood up to it with a minor push to him, grinding the bottoms of his pads.

"I'm thinking the Galdr of Rebirth is our only hope." Loki said. "Half heron or not, you're the most qualified. We'll get him pinned to some degree, and you just start singing. Goddess grant you that you can." He prayed.

"I suck at singing." Nirr complained, getting a whack in the head from Munch.

"Stop complaining and go!" Shinryu said, Dante running behind him for a second attack. Megan had somehow gotten a free ride on the back of Munch, who wasn't freaked out by her arrows. She fired, getting one arrow stuck in his cape, and back to one of the pillars. "Aim for the pillar! Skid, start throwing!"

"Way ahead of you, Shinny." Skid said, throwing knives at rapid speeds, getting closer as Ike became more immobile. He ripped a couple out, replaced by some of Laus' throwing. A javelin from Tess stood out, and Kaeda's spear as well. How she threw that, nobody would know. Her aim was off a little, the blade grazed the side of his cheek, one bit of injury that actually affected him.

"Galdr, you fool!" Urya said, glancing at Nirr then back to Ike. He was breaking free at a snail's pace, the arrows were the main thing keeping him down, and the knives acted as the second layer of assurance.

She stopped in her tracks, everything silent. Her ears had gone deaf in the heat of the moment, eyes frozen wide. The words were right on her tongue, melody _ringing _in her mind, but...

"_I-imisanakikeganonawot, orokokumorodametemotowikot...uaerufetotetiarahowimay hekilledmami._" She stuttered along, hoping to the goddesses that she got the words right. Looking over, nothing seemed to be happening, urged on by an unseen force, she went on. "_Ikemazasanoyuosasumezak otegakomoukuyirutsuinuzimadat, usawurufimimeokonotihonak_," Right in the middle of the third or so verse, Ike wrenched his arm free, sending off a large attack from the sword, maiming a couple. The sheer power was terrifying, but there was magic afoot! He was coming back! "_...etitomikuuyami , uamaros, uamaros."_

Everything subsided as he dropped his sword, crashing down from the wall to his hands and knees. He held one hand to his forehead, face pulled together in a grimace.

"Don't...move." Soren demanded, tuckered out from spurting fire in the slightly darkened room, only kept alight by Charlene now. He was holding his breath, as was almost everyone else, waiting for some sort of recoil of madness. Loki was ready to spring, Sang by his side.

Ike shuddered, giving a giant heave, what looked like glass came out of him, it dissipated like steam in the air as it hit the floor. He sat there for another short moment, rousing himself from the dusty floor. Looking at everyone with tired eyes, he asked them in a confused tone.

"...Did we come under attack or something?" He asked, reaching up to rub an eye.

"Did we come under attack...psh. You tried to kill me!" Nirr said, taking angry steps towards him, scythe in hand. "You wanted to skin me,"

"Nirr..." Soren said quietly, getting irritated.

"Murder me in some sort," She added.

"_Nirr." _He rang again, frowning and glaring now.

"And you said that I had a pretty scalp!" Nirr yelled, the words echoed.

"NIRR!" Soren yelled. "We all almost died there, okay? It's NOT. ALL. ABOUT. YOU!" He roared. "Come on, it's simple! We all survived, we all lived, and for goddesses' sake, we've all gotten a taste of the wrath of Ike. "If we could all _please move on _I think we have some sort of entity to take on." He said, the door opened as if he had spoken the magic words. "Ah, right on time."

"Well said. We always need that once in a while." Ivy said, heaving a small sigh.

"No kidding." Laus rolled his shoulder around, looking at Ike. "You seriously pack a hard punch, too. Lots worse than her."

"Why did you bring that up?" Nirr asked.

"It's legitly in conversation." The small thief said. "I have no clue what I just said, but it works."

"Works my arse..." Ethan muttered, moving the whole herd of people onward. Soren stuck back as everyone moved on.

"Soren, did I really...?" Ike asked, approaching him. "Go mad? I can only gather that I did from everyone else."

"You did. Worst that I've seen. You were like Renning back there. I thought you wouldn't come back." Soren said, glaring up at him. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything. I just felt...like I was falling asleep." He shrugged, frowning at him.

"You're just lucky that nobody got seriously injured." Soren said. "...And I'm glad you're...I'm glad you're back. I would have..."

"You would have gone into a state of silence, and would never talk to anyone again." Ike finished with a deep sigh. "Come on, I know you too well, Soren."

Soren paused for a moment, trotting past him. "You over exaggerate me, Ike." Soren said. "You really do."

* * *

><p><em>I wiki'd the galdr (that's what she's singing.) and I found that there's a beautiful translation. I know I got the verse count wrong, but It's really pretty. They take enough effort to take the time to make things pretty and quite fitting. :P<em>

Endless grief and sorrow.  
>Hearts slumbering again,<br>Stars frozen in their place:  
>Darkness envelopes the land.<p>

But in the spilling of blood,  
>a hope still glimmers dim.<br>in a reflection in the water.  
>in a whisper in the wind.<p>

Gather your courage.  
>It will break the bonds of night.<br>take wing, and dance upon the sky.  
>take wing, and dance upon the sky.<p>

_I really like it. It fits. Oh, just wondering, but did I get lazy on the fighting, Guy? I need feedback on that, so, yeah. I need to become better at that. :P_


	54. Chapter 54: Endgame: The Final One

_Okay, so I've been told that my writing was good, and it needed work._

_Ethan: THUNDER BLADE! *springs out of nowhere*_

_ME: Can it. *punches* Well, here we go again. onward with this murderous scene: The Final Boss._

* * *

><p>The slanted hallways eventually gave way to stairs, and that was one of the things that told them they were getting closer to the top.<p>

"How far up do you think we are?" Kaeda asked, leading Malla, her pegasus along. "I know we're farther up in the building...but..."

"I'd say about far enough from the ground to die when you jump out." Ethan sighed, looking back at the paranoid girl. "But, that could be any height..."

"Ethan, shut up." Skid knuckled him in the arm, frowning deeply and looking back at Kaeda. "He's just being a real pain, don't think about it too much."

"I-I think I can do that..." She muttered, looking downward.

"Where are we going, anyways?"

"Up." Laus said shortly. "It's kind of obvious."

The air seemed tense, Ike was clearing up the last of the drowsiness that ailed him. Ranulf was talking to him, trying to speed up the process. Nirr was in the front, looking out for anything that was a problem. Urya was with her, and the dragons and Dante flitting around up higher.

"I don't get it." Nirr frowned, talking to Urya. "Why did he get like that so suddenly? Was I like that when..."

"You weren't as murderous, actually. He had some sort of focus because you two are kind of joined in some sort of weirdo goddess-made prophecy." Urya sighed. "Or that's what Loki told me. He's been right so far, and it's..."

"I'll never get it...We can only hope that it'll be a quick battle in the end..." Nirr said, sighing a little. She glanced back at Ike, who evaded her gaze, Ranulf shook his head a little.

"It probably won't..." Loki chimed in, looking at her. "Just keep some things in mind: Stay strong, grip that staff until your knuckles are white, and keep yourself armed. Don't turn your back at _all._"

"Thanks..." Nirr said, looking back at Ike again. "Loki...?"

"Yes?" He asked, having shifted back to human form. "What is it?"

"I don't mean to sound grim, but I need you to take care of Laus if all goes to pieces." Nirr said firmly. "Get him out of here along with everyone else, and do the best you can to live...I guess."

"Not a problem." Loki said in a firm voice. "I'll do my best..."

"Thank you...it gives me peace of mind..." Nirr said, smiling faintly. "Hey, Ike. You okay back there?" She called, still wary around him.

"Just fine..." He said back, coming up to the front. "Still a little hazy, but just fine."

"...Better than nuts..." She sighed, walking through an arch, with Ike following, confused by the lack of people following.

"What the...?" Ike turned back, brows furrowed. "Goddesses, they've locked us in."

"Ike, listen." Soren came to the front, irritated. "Come back alive. Final strategy. Now, go."

* * *

><p>The hall was quiet, the howling of the wind inside the tower. Nobody talked, making the silence more unbearable.<p>

"Ike?" Nirr asked, her voice echoing.

"Yes?" He replied, almost half-heartedly.

"...I know from a little bit of experience, but what was it like when you..." She said, twirling her free hair that hung down her shoulders. "Went...mad."

He gave a tired sigh, thinking back. "I can only remember being in the dark for a while, just hearing bits and snippets." Ike said, glancing at Nirr, still keeping stride with her. "I heard galdr, though. Was that you?"

"...It kind of was." She replied, scratching the back of her head. "It wasn't bad, was it?"

"No...I actually thought you were someone else." He breathed, looking at her head on for once. "I can just say that a little heron can go a long way."

"No kidding?" She muttered, looking at him as well. "Nervous?"

"I can't say..." He replied. "Why the awkward conversation, though? You're usually more stubborn than this."

"Don't start this..." Nirr said, still trotting to keep up with his long stride. "I don't think that I want to talk about this."

"Oh, I try to be stubborn and such, but I can't?" Ike asked, looking at her, stopping her. "You're really something."

She just looked at him, frowning. "I said I don't want to talk about this. Let's go. Who knows how far the end of this is?"

"Okay then, let's just talk about something else." He walked on, shaking his head. She followed, finally getting to the door that held the last bit of terror from the world. The last bit of chaos...and then it was all over. "Well, the door's closer than we thought..."

"Should we just go in?" Nirr asked, looking to him again.

"I wouldn't think that they would have something set up, but then again..." Ike shook his head. "Let's go in and hope he's kind enough to not attack like a savage."

"We can only hope." She nodded, both pushed on the door, making the hinges creaked as they moved inward, seeing the giant room. Much like Ashera's residence, there were many lanterns, burning in an orange-copper hue. The walls were the same copper color as the rest of the place, and in the back, there was a figure shrouded in darkness. Only the eyes stood out, squinted up in a smile.

"Ah, so you are all alive." He stood up, coming into the light. Nirr gulped, the sound audibly heard. "Nirvana the Heron Queen, and Ike the Travelling Hero...How quaint." He smiled wider, green eyes almost glittering in his smugness. "So, how would you like to end this? A surrender? Slow and painful death? Or maybe just a nice quick dismemberment of your body, Ike, and eternal _servitude_ to me, Nirvana? How does that sound?"

"You're a cocky, lewd, and _terrible_ piece of work..." Ike said, arching a brow.

"You're forgetting 'corrupt' as well." Ezel said with a short laugh. "Why don't we just get this started." He said, drawing his sword. "I challenge the Warriors of Ashera to fight me. The result is simple: I win, you lose, and I will have the world. I'd hate to kill you though...such good fighters you are, I have to admit."

'_He's stalling...' _Nirr thought. _'For what reason?' _

The fight suddenly started, a wide berth of his dark magic hit them, Ike faring better than Nirr. She pulled out her staff and got up off the floor, just quick enough to brace herself for the next round. Ike had gotten behind a pillar, where the attacks were negated but for how long?

Ike came out, throwing a ranged attack out and racing across to get Nirr out of the way. He paused for a second behind a pillar, peeking out at him. He just stood there, wryly smiling as if he had already won.

"You really have to stay out of the way." He spat at her, she was still trying to focus her eyes. "Don't tell me you're blind."

"I'm working on it." She retorted hotly, wincing. "I can see, it's blurry."

"Good enough." He said, glancing from around the pillar again. I'm going to go out there, and you cover me with the psychic staff. Okay? If anything else, long range attack." Ike ordered, eyes serious.

"Understandable." She nodded, dashing behind the pillar next to them. "GO!" She yelled.

Ike dashed out, evading a ranged attack that would have cut him in half. He hit hard on the flat of Ezel's blade, sparks that glowed purple flew, both using all their strength in their attacks. They sprung back, both running back again for another hit. Ike tried to pace himself, gritting his teeth and keeping his boots on the ground.

"You're doing quite well, Ike." Ezel said, mimicking Zelgius for a moment. "You've grown well."

He ignored him as he gave several fierce blows, moving away to let a couple of Nirr's attacks hurt him. He groaned, reeling back and grinning madly as he threw one out as well. Nirr yipped, moving behind the pillar again, peeking out at Ike. "GO, you fool!" She roared. Ike did so, slicing a bit into Ezel's side. He countered with a wicked blow to Ike, knocking him backwards and into the wall. He coughed up blood, the red matter spattered the floor.

Nirr took a sharp breath in, healing him with one hand quickly and then with the other, she gave multiple attacks from far away, trying to stall him for long enough. He only laughed, advancing to the recovering blue haired man.

She cursed, running into his path and making a wide arc with her scythe. It seemed to merely tickle him, but kept him away enough for Ike to recover and make a leap at him from above. Nirr looked up, Ike was right above for a second, then they were at it again. So many quick attacks, so many blocks.

Looking at Ezel with a naked eye showed that he was almost unharmed, but the human fighters were cut, scratched, bruised and all of the above. But, one could see the faint smoke that billowed purple from Ezel's cuts.

Ike was tiring quickly, and was doing more blocking than anything. He panted, taking the blows, knees bending with the force. "NIRR! DO SOMETHING!" Ike bellowed, defending himself with his other hand on the flat of his own blade.

She moved her hand back, muttering something in some sort of language. Nirr advanced quickly, shoving Ezel away and trying to get a good hit. His speed was up, so she didn't get her hit in. He smiled, cocking his head to the side and blocking easily. "Oh, so she attacks now?" He asked, eyeing the staff that she had in her belt. "I thought you'd be a better healer, Nirvana."

"Shut up." She said, making her wide arced attacks. Ike was recovering, taking deep breaths and giving an attack or two. He was worn out, giving his fullest, but still not enough. The steady scraping sounds of her attacking Ezel. He smelled of death, now it was all visible. With a quick yell, he threw Nirr back, hitting the wall next to Ike. She rubbed the back of her head, red stained her fingers. "We're not getting anywhere." She breathed, looking at the evil that waited for their approach. "I don't know what to do."

"Focus, Nirr. That's all I can tell you." Ike said, looking at Ezel. "We're almost done. He's running out of steam, and we're double-teaming him enough that we'll have a fighting chance." He assured her. "We can't give up now." He said, nodding to himself. "I'll run up to him, you go around back and take a good critical shot." He tightened his grip, face set to a scowl. "We're going to end this. Get running."

She nodded, sprinting around the edge of the room. Ike started running forward, seeing his foe bracing himself. Ike gave out a battle cry as he approached, all things slowing down. Ezel had started smiling, what did he see? What...what...? An error. A fatal error. Ike was wide open. Blade raised like a maniac, not shielding himself _at all_...he had not thought this through.

"_Oh no..." _Ike said, eyes bulging as it all happened. Ezel's sword impaled him through his stomach, blood rushed down the blade, the pain wasn't there, but it was more so numb, maybe because of his disbelief. He tried to say something, but nothing came out. He stuttered, trying to take it in.

"Is that it? Is that _all?_" Ezel asked, smiling widely and laughing wildly as he drew his blade back. Ike stumbled back, falling to his knees.

"Not by a long shot!" Nirr yelled, slicing him in the back, making him yell in agony. He fell to his knees, Nirr's scythe blade at his back. "Now, may I ask you, is that all?" He started to speak, but she took off his head and ended it all, his body turned to dark embers as it was all over.

Nirr took in a breath, dashing over to Ike and throwing down her weapon. "Oh dear Goddess...!" She said, getting him to lie down. She took one look at his wound, gritting her teeth as she looked from him to the red that was spreading quickly. "Ike, you idiot!" Nirr said, pulling out her staff and tried to heal him up.

"I regret nothing." He laughed, eyelids drooping slowly. "Nothing at all."

"Oh no you don't!" Nirr growled, unwanted moisture coming to her eyes. She deftly wiped the wetness away with one hand, trying to keep him awake. She patted his cheek repeatedly, only getting him to wince a little and open his eyes only slightly.

He muttered something incoherently, his vision fading to white, Nirr in the background with many other voices frantically calling for him.

_"Don't leave_ me!"

* * *

><p><em>I regret nothing. Yae or nae? Hm? I'll have the last chapter up sometime, so I'll get to it. <em>

_I'm sorry, you guys. I killed the protagonist of Fire Emblem. *shot by Rolf and many other archers* _


	55. Chapter 55: Epilogue: Going Home

_I'll just get on with it. I don't own Fire Emblem. _

* * *

><p><em>Three Months Later...<em>

Nirr stood next to the coast of Aecorlitus, the salty breeze blew through her hair, and this time instead of her brawling outfit, she was dressed in the wear of a true queen. She still felt numb about it, knowing what lie ahead of her as queen. She told Ike she would do it, even after what happened. The world had been changed, and the people were back to what they knew before the False Gods. People were rebuilding, and things...were at more ease than she ever knew. The Branded were coming back from the Wastes, never having to live out there again. People mourned the deaths of the royals, the men, women and children that had been lost, but hope still sprung up out of all of this.

"Hey, Nirr!" Laus called, running towards her. He had grown in three months, and it showed. "Soren and Ranulf are packed up an they're ready to leave." He panted, catching his breath. "Are you willing to bless the boat?"

"Sure." Nirr smiled, looking at him with a melancholic smile. "I'll do it."

"They said they'll leave tomorrow." Laus nodded, running off again. "I'll see you back at Castle Oron!"

The snow had melted long ago, but the cold still lingered. She walked back to the town, where everyone was rebuilding. Not being queen in her own country and the coronation of the actual royals meant that she would have some say in it all. Skid was helping some people with some of the merchant shops, Vill was repairing boats, Tess, Remus, Romulus and Kaeda were erecting a statue for Asheruna, getting their calvary to get it upright. Shinryu was napping, having been up all night getting everything cleaned up. Ethan was talking to Soren and Charlene, who had some sort of noticeable bump. She called it the 'Post Apocalyptic Child'. Kind of an odd name, but it meant that there would be more people to tell about the heroes of Terrasancta.

Everything was going as planned, and all was well. Very well. It was almost too good. She wandered into the woods around the town, following the thin trail covered in dead leaves. Her white and pale green dress dragged behind her, it wasn't as light as her battle armor by a long shot. "Why is this so good?" She asked herself. Nothing came in response, just the sound of the wind blowing and the seasonal birds.

Walking further down the path, listening to her thoughts and watching the last of the otherworldly spirits leave. They looked like small orbs of light now, disappearing and flitting around. It was beautiful to see them. Who was among them now? The path opened to a wide meadow in the middle of the forest, the crocuses were blooming purple, and some of the small white flowers were alive and well.

"It's kind of odd how things turn about, hunh?" Ike asked, coming out of nowhere. He wore his shirt loose, hair falling in his face.

"You survived, thanks to me." She replied.

"After you slapped me awake after we got out of there." Ike retorted.

"Because you were babbling about seeing the other side." She said, poking his chest. "You lived thanks to me. And you're going to go back home, and then make sweet love to that woman who lives in Crimea or whatever."

"You're ludicrous." Ike said, smiling a slight bit.

"You love her, she loves you, go get her when you get off your two month trip back home." Nirr said, flopping her arms at her sides. "For all we know, Yune will make your babies smart and beautiful."

"Not to mention non-existent." Ike muttered under his breath, coughing to cover it up. "Nirr, I gotta tell you one thing."

"What?" Nirr asked, putting her hands on her hips.

Ike sighed, shifting around a little. "You're not going to change one bit, and that's what's gonna make you a good queen." Ike said. "You'll be loved by everyone, and you'll be just as good as the greats."

"How sweet. What are you trying to do?" Nirr asked, being serious.

"There's no way to get you to be charmed, hunh?" Ike asked. "Nice. You'll be forever alone, too."

"Yep. As far as I can tell." She nodded, smiling smugly. "And there's probably no man who can do anything to make me change."

"There probably won't be." Ike agreed.

"I have no attraction for anyone now." Nirr added, a sarcastic laugh emerging.

"Of course you don't." He said, nodding.

"Not at all, I'm just fine." Nirr said. "Ike, I'm fine being alone."

"Well, if you're so set on being alone, I won't be shaking your ideals at all?" Ike asked, sneaking closer.

"Nope." Nirr shook her head, eyes closed. "Nev-"

Ike had suddenly brought his arm back behind her, bringing her close and kissing her without any regard for her. He let her step back, wiping her mouth for a second, and she didn't look back up at him.

"Well?" Ike asked.

"I'm still kind of...kind of firm..." Nirr breathed, looking away.

"Could I have a second chance to change your mind?" Ike asked, somehow managing a wily smile.

"Okay, now you're just being crazy." Nirr said, walking past him. "Why don't we let the other men of the world a chance." She said, giving him a slight smile and going back to the town as if nothing happened. "A visit in a couple years would be nice, though. You should come back when anarchy isn't staying as well."

"I agree. Maybe some other time." Ike said, following her back.

* * *

><p><em>Ah, is this nice or what? Next comes the author's notes. :)<em>


	56. Last thoughts and Notes

Author's notes and little known facts...

Well guys, I made it to an end. It's kind of odd...gawky, and slightly OOC for the most part...kinda. Well, little known facts and ideals:

* * *

><p>~Nirr's name was actually supposed to be 'Lucinda Frost'. I named her Nirr because that's the noise I make when I think. Ie- Nurr... Nirr. I was having an odd day. It fits though, right?<p>

~I was originally thinking of murdering everyone (well, the heroes). Yay me for letting them live. :P

~I suddenly realized that my character was really a kind of person you wouldn't want to be friends with until you knew her. Ike is best at combating her annoying charm, I think. You decide.

~I think I really needed the taking out of the yandre chapters. I really didn't like them either.

~My reviewers really are amazing. I give you guys that. You guys have made me better. Much better. I'm working on Fictionpress as well...(I really don't want this to end. Really.)

~Extra credit to the ones who can find the hidden references from RD and PoR. Hmm...hm hm.

I'm all so very glad that you guys stuck along with this. Getting me to write, things like that. Thank you so much. As a writer, I cannot thank you enough. You gave me the chance to breathe life into your characters, no matter how odd or quirky they are.

I may have another fire emblem fic coming up, just thinking. It was fun while it lasted, but all good things have to be let go sometimes. Thank you. I can't express this enough.

-Nirr, and the rest of the Cast who made this all possible


End file.
